New Delhi: What a wonderful game of football as England reached yet another UEFA Euro final after defeating the Dutch side who were left heartbroken on the pitch. Ronald Koeman failed to repeat history as the 1988 Euro winner and couldn’t bring the same success and glory to his Dutch side as a manager this time around.
There were glimpses of brilliance from the Dutch squad throughout the campaign but they couldn’t string together those good performances for a full ninety minutes of the games. They were inconsistent in each of the games where at one point they showed the urgency and the willingness to score a goal, while the next moment, they were caught up with some sloppy mistakes that eventually cost them.
Even in this game against England, they showed glimpses of their attacking abilities but threw the match away in the dying moments. The match ended in a heartbreak for the Dutch, despite scoring a very early goal. However, the second half was completely dominated by England who have been poor going forward throughout the campaign which truly turned out to be a major factor in the game.
The match started off in an exciting manner as both the teams were looking threatening. However, it was Xavi Simons who provided the lead to Ronald Koeman’s side as he rocketed a shot from outside the box to beat Jordan Pickford. The keeper just couldn’t do anything about it despite getting a fingertip touch while the ball travelled straight into the top corner.
Just seven minutes into the game, it was the Dutch who had already taken a crucial lead. As the game progressed, the intensity went up and then came a controversial moment where the match official, Felix Zwayer took the consultance of the video assistant referee to check a potential handball by Denzel Dumfries. It didn’t take the official to make the decision and he gave a penalty to England after the check, which was converted by the England skipper Harry Kane. It was the sixth goal that Kane scored in the knockout stages of a big international tournament, the most by any player.
However, it was the very final minute of the game when the substitute, Ollie Watkins scored from a tight angle to sink the Dutch, who looked hopeless after the goal. It was enough to sink the Dutch as their journey ended then and there.
Ronald Koeman’s reluctance to utilize talented youngsters
Jeremie Frimpong, Ryan Gravenberch, Xavi Simons, Ian Maatsen, Denzel Dumfries, Steven Bergwijn and Brian Brobbey. Four of these players weren’t even given enough playing time by Ronald Koeman. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
One of the glaring misses from Ronald Koeman’s campaign in Germany was his reluctance to utilize the vast array of young, talented individuals at his disposal. Xavi Simons was the sole exception to this criteria and it looks like had Frenkie De Jong been fit for the tournament, Simons wouldn’t be getting the chances he got either.
There were some talented individuals in the Dutch set-up like Joshua Zirkzee, Jeramie Frimpong, Brain Brobbey, Ian Maatsen, and Mathias De Ligt. However, neither of these individuals played the full 90 minutes in any of the games in the campaign. Koeman’s side were clearly struggling for goals from their attackers, Memphis Depay and Wout Weghorst, but he decided to stick with them and never gave Brobbey and Zirkzee the chance in Germany.
Zirkzee is similar in style to Depay as he plays as a false nine well but was given a total of four minutes across two appearances in the tournament. This is the same striker who won Serie A’s young player of the season in the 2023/24 campaign. Brobbey was only given a single minute in the defeat against England and he was coming off the back of a 34-goal contribution season with Ajax.
De Ligt and Maatsen are two young defenders who had successful seasons in the Bundesliga, both reached the last four of the UEFA Champions League this past season and Maatsen also contributed to 5 goals in the season for Dortmund, even though he joined in January. Both of them didn’t play a single minute in the campaign with an old Stevan De Vrij and a natural centre-back in Ake being preferred by Koeman.
And possibly the most baffling omission from the squad, Jeramie Frimpong, who has just had an invincible season with Bayer Leverkusen, where he scored 14 and assisted 12 from a right-wing back position, was given just 85 minutes throughout the tournament and those minutes also came while being played out of position.
Clearly, not giving these talented bunch of individuals enough game time cost them in the tournament as they failed to repeat history in Germany.
Ronald Koeman’s side looked lively in parts throughout the campaign but ultimately fell short in the final hurdle before the UEFA Euro 2024 final in Berlin. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
