The Netherlands upset Poland with a little mercenary skill.
The Netherlands defeated Poland 2-1 at the Falksparkstadion in Hamburg, Germany, on Saturday at 10 p.m. in the first leg of their Euro 2024 Group D match.
Poland lined up in a 3-4-3 formation. Sebastian Szymanski, Adam Buksa, and Kaczper Urbanski formed the attack, with Taras Romanchuk and Piotr Zielinski in the middle and Nikola Jalefski and Przemysław Francowski at the wing-backs. Jakub Kibior, Bartosz Salamon, and Jan Bednarek formed the defense, with Wojciech Szczesny in goal.
The Netherlands countered with a 4-3-3 formation. Cody Hakpo, Memphis Depay, and Xavi Simmons started in the back three, while Joey Fehrmann, Tijani Reinders, and Jermain Defoe formed the midfield. Nathan Ake, Virgil Pandike, Stefan Duffray and Danjul Dumfries formed the defense, with Bart Pervrughen in goal.
The Netherlands took the early lead. In the third minute, Hakpo picked up the ball inside the left penalty box and beat his defender momentarily, but Szczesny made a good reflex save. In the ninth minute, Reinders fired a shot straight from inside the penalty box off a ball from Souton that went wide of the right post. In the 14th minute, Simmons finished a ball from Fehrmann outside the right penalty box, but the ball went wide of the far post.
The opening goal, however, came from the Polish side. In the 16th minute, Zielinski’s corner kick from the left was headed home by Buksa at the near post and into the opposite goal. The promised set piece was on target, beating Robert Lewandowski in the box.
The Netherlands moved to equalize. In the 20th minute, Pandijk’s attempted volley was headed between the legs of the defense, but Szczesny made an incredible reflex save. In the 22nd minute, Simmons slid the ball to the side and Defai was on hand to shoot, but the ball flew over the bar. In the 25th minute, after a brief spell of possession, Reinders’ cross into the penalty box was tipped over by Zielinski.
The Netherlands quickly equalized. In the 29th minute, Poland’s clearance was broken up by Ake, and Hakpo’s long-range shot deflected off Salamon and into the net. Szczesny, who had been making good saves, was caught in the act and had nothing to stop.
The Netherlands missed a golden opportunity to add to their lead. In the 42nd minute, Ake’s cutback from a Feynman pass into the left side of the penalty box was met by Hakpo, who was on hand to take the ball, but his shot narrowly cleared the crossbar. In the first minute of first-half stoppage time, Ake’s diagonal long ball from the left was collected by Defoe inside the penalty box, but his attempted shot went wide of the far post.
At the start of the second half, Poland took off Szymanski and brought on Jakub Moder. The Netherlands seized the offense early in the second half. In the first minute of the second half, Dumfries 토토사이트 headed a cross from Hakpo towards goal and sent the ball into the center of the box, where Szczesny got a hand to it before it could reach Defoe. In the ninth minute of the second half, Hakpo drove the ball into the attacking third and crossed to the right for Simmons, but the ball deflected off his foot and out of play.
Poland brought off Urbanski and Romanczuk in the 10th minute of the second half for Karl Szbiederski and Bartosz Slisz. In the 13th minute, Zalewski’s cross was met by Kibior at the other end, who fired a shot that was saved by Perbrücken. Zielinski’s mid-range effort was saved by Perbruchon in the ensuing minute.
The Netherlands took off Feynman and Simons in the 17th minute of the second half to bring on Giorginio Beynaldum and Daniel Marlon. In the 20th minute, Malone cleared the ball and Dumfries struck the ball straight at him from the right, but his shot went wide. In the 24th minute, Defoe’s shot sailed high and wide off a pass from Swarton.
The Netherlands missed a crucial chance. In the 29th minute, Duffray surged into the center of the box on a corner kick, but her header narrowly missed the top of the crossbar.
Poland made two changes in the 32nd minute, bringing off Zielinski and introducing Jakub Piotrowski, which resulted in a midfield rotation. The Netherlands 안전놀이터 took off Hakpo and Defai in the 36th minute for Jeremy Frimpong and Wout Behhorst. This meant they changed their entire attacking lineup.
The Netherlands pulled a goal back. In the 38th minute, Ake advanced down the left side and sent a pass into the penalty box, where Behhorst got in at the near post and fired a straight shot that rattled the net.
In the 41st minute, Poland brought off Salamon for Bartosz Bereszynski. The Netherlands took off Ake and brought on Mickey van der Penn.
Poland missed a crucial equalizer. In the 44th minute, Piotrowski dribbled into the penalty area and crossed to the center of the box, where Sibiederski wasted no time in getting a shot away, but Perbrughan made an incredible reflex save. From the rebound, Piotrowski had another shot that hit the side netting.
In the second minute of second-half stoppage time, Moder fired a left-footed mid-range shot that Perbrücken dived to save. In the fifth minute of stoppage time, Zalewski’s attempt from the edge of the box was also saved by Perbrücken. In the end, the Netherlands held on for a 2-1 victory over Poland and a first-round bye.