Euro 2024 Group D: Poland1 [Buksa 16] Holland 2 [Gakpo 29, Weghorst 83]. The style of Total Football takes a backseat as Wout Weghorst, Holland’s towering forward, salvages a win from what appeared to be a catastrophic tie in Hamburg.
In an echo of the 2022 World Cup, where he forced Argentina and Lionel Messi into extra time, Weghorst showed up late and snatched a winning goal for Holland against Poland. Despite the absence of their captain, Robert Lewandowski, Poland’s tactically disciplined display nearly triumphed over Holland’s renowned technique and star players. But only nearly.
For most of the match, Ronald Koeman’s squad struggled to perform, even as Cody Gakpo’s powerful strike neutralised an early goal by Adam Buksa. The tension in the Polish team mounted when Weghorst was sent on to substitute Memphis Depay in the final 10 minutes. Holland shifted from finesse to a more direct approach! However, this was all part of Koeman’s brilliant strategy. The exceptional Nathan Aké sent a deft pass to their towering forward, who coolly slotted the ball past Wojciech Szczęsny.
Despite the idyllic afternoon in Hamburg, filled with cheerful Polish and Dutch fans crossing the German borders in large numbers, the afternoon was marred by an incident involving local law enforcement. Two hours prior to kick-off, the police shot a man who was armed with a pickaxe and a firebomb in the city centre. This event marked the first security challenge of the European Championships. Subsequent to the incident, video footage circulated widely on platform X, with Hamburg police assuming the man was acting alone.
The absence of injured Barcelona players Robert Lewandowski and Frenkie de Jong is a great loss for the Euro event. While Lewandowski is forecasted to return from a thigh strain ahead of the knock-out stages, de Jong, the team’s key playmaker, has been forced to withdraw from the competition due to an ankle injury.
In the previous season, Buksa managed to score a goal in every second match while on loan to Antalyaspor, a Turkish team. This accomplishment, however, falls short when compared to Lewandowski’s 26 goals for Barca and a staggering 82 goals from 150 appearances. The 27-year-old forward nonetheless emulated his captain with a deft header in the 16th minute, using Nicola Zalewski’s corner to find the back of the net. He skillfully outleapt both Denzel Dumfries and Virgil van Dijk, handing Poland a lead against the odds.
Unfazed by this setback, the Dutch team continued to bombard Szczęsny’s goal with shots. The ex-Arsenal, currently playing for Juventus, goalkeeper held his ground brilliantly amidst the torrent of shots in the first half. Even before Gakpo’s equalised near the half-hour mark, Liverpool’s Tijjani Reijnders, Van Dijk, and Memphis Depay were all narrowly thwarted in their attempts to score.
The Netherlands were teeming with determination to please their supporters with a goal. However, Poland, refusing to back down and accept a seemingly inevitable defeat, had the young Serie A midfielders Nicola Zalewski and Kacper Urbanski to keep the opponents at bay.
Gakpo eventually came through thanks to a deflection off Bartosz Salamon’s heel. As is often in basketball, top players always find their zone. Gakpo was no exception, veering from the left and firing a shot that threaded through three diving Polish players, the attempt ultimately blocking Szczesny’s view and spinning beyond his reach.
The goal resulted from Zalewski’s botched clearance as pressure from Denzel Dumfries resulted in Aké gaining possession and setting up Gakpo, before making a run that distracted the Polish defenders.
Quite like the events in Munich with Germans and in Berlin with Spanish, the Netherlands would have had secured a comfortable lead by half-time, if not for Gakpo and Depay’s crucial missed opportunities.
Poland’s newly appointed manager, Michael Probiertz, would have been relieved to end the first half with a 1-1 scoreline, following which his team adopted a defensive strategy in the second half, albeit keen on exploiting counterattack opportunities.
Next to seek a second goal for the Netherlands was Xavi Simons, whose attempt unfortunately went wide.
In the critical 58th minute, Jakub Kiwior was presented with an opportunity to put Poland back in the lead following Zalewski’s fantastic run and pass. Kiwior will likely spend years contemplating his awkward first touch and mild attempt at goal. Buksa found himself in a similar situation shortly after, where Aké nudged him off the ball all too quickly.
Weghorst’s goal was nearly annulled by Jakub Piotrowski when the game was nearly over. The Polish substitute failed to find the target, prompting a communal sigh of relief from the Dutch team. Their next opponent? France, in Leipzig on the upcoming Friday.
The teams were made up as follows:
POLAND: Szczęsny; Bednarek, Salamon, Kiwior; Zielinski (Piotrowski, 78), Romanczuk (Slisz, 55); Zalewski, Szymanski (Moder, 46), Urbanski (Swiderski, 55), Frankowski; Buksa.
NETHERLANDS: Verbruggen; Dumfries, De Vrij, Van Dijk, Aké (Van de Ven, 87); Schouten, Reijnders, Veerman (Wijnaldum, 62); Simons (Malen, 62), Depay (Weghorst, 81), Gakpo (Frimpong, 81).
The match was refereed by Artur Soares Dias from Portugal.