Euro 2024: Netherlands thrash Romania 3-0 in their Round of 16 fixture and seal their berth in the quarter finals of the tournament. The Dutch hardly broke sweat the entire match, as Romania never possessed real threat up front to trouble Ronald Koemen's side and with the defeat, theri dream run at Euro 2024 officially comes to an end.
Even though Donyell Malan grabbed two goals late in the game, it was match that will be remebered for Cody Gakpo's masterclass, as his antics troubled the Romanian backline throughout the match and was deservingly awarded the Player of the Match award.
"Overall, it was a good performance from us. We knew they were a tough opponent, so we were ready to fight. The fans were great in the stadium, which helps. We needed to score goals, and that's what we did. It was important today to make a small statement," said Cody Gakpo in the post-match interview.
The Dutch coach was delighted with his side's performance, as Netherlands will now await the winner of Austria Vs Turkey match to face in the quarter finals.
"Sometimes it's difficult to explain why you play badly and why you reach a high level. Today the start was hard, but we eventually found our game and caused them problems. Maybe one critical point was that it took too long to score the second goal. We caused Romania big problems with our attacking," said Koeman during the post-match interview.
Romanian Coach Thanks Fans For Their Overwhelming Support
"Today we ended the great story we started two years ago. We continued that story here in Germany together with our fans. The team gave a great effort, but there is some sadness too. We wanted more, but we gave our all. Thank you to my lads, the supporters and Romanians everywhere in the world who supported us," said Edward Lordanescu, Romania coach.