LAST 16
Germany 3 - 1 Netherlands
Werner 35'
Gnabry 49', 52'
Promes 73'
Michael Grew
Ferenc Puskas Stadion, Budapest, Hungary
Sunday 28th June
Budapest welcomed two giants of international football this Sunday evening, hoping for a real showcase of the talent that both Germany and The Netherlands undeniably enjoy. While there were question marks over the German’s performances so far in this tournament, scraping through as one of the four best third place finishers, there was real excitement around a Dutch side which had scored 8 without reply in the three group matches. However, a seemingly serious injury to Virgil van Dijk in the first half proved to be hugely costly to the Oranje, while the German’s assured performance will send an ominous warning to the rest of the tournament; Joachim Löw’s men have finally arrived at Euro 2020.
Both Germany and The Netherlands played all their group matches ‘at home’, the Germans in Munich and Dutch in Amsterdam. Supporters were understandable keen, then, to enjoy the travel aspect of these most unusual of European Championships. The day had been spent by fans of both teams enjoying the opportunity to enjoy the many leisure opportunities that Budapest has to offer, with some opting for the culture of Buda Castle, others relaxing in the many city parks close to the Puskás Aréna while still others enjoyed the local baths on a day where temperatures reached 32°C. By mid afternoon, though, thoughts turned to the afternoon contest, with fans from both sides appearing bullish about their country’s chances. For the Dutch, this was an opportunity to continue their unusually good form against old rivals; they had only lost 1 of their previous 5 encounters. The Germans, on the other hand, well, they were watching their team at a major tournament, and they will always be confident in that scenario.
Donyell Malen, who did so well against Belarus, had not done enough to force his way into the starting lineup as, although Ronald Koeman stuck with the two man attack, he trusted Memphis Depay to partner their tournament top scorer Quincy Promes. Germany, meanwhile, were unchanged from the team who beat Bulgaria last time out, with İlkay Gündoğan’s midweek interview, in which he was widely interpreted to have criticised his teammates’ quality, ensuring that he was not even present on the bench this evening.
The match began at a furious pace, despite the high temperatures, and within 5 minutes the Dutch had the ball in the German net, only to see the goal ruled out by VAR for an offside. The technology worked quickly, and Depay had only half celebrated the goal in the first place, clearly aware that he had gone marginally too soon to latch onto Ryan Babel’s ball over the top. Still, a warning shot that seemed to suggest that the Dutch would continue their fine form in this tournament.
However, it was the Germans who grew more into the game as the minutes passed. The sight of Tony Kroos controlling the pace of the match will not be unfamiliar to any fan of La Liga football, and a perfectly weighted ball set Timo Werner against Virgil van Dijk. The Liverpool star slid in to perfectly dispossess the RB Leipzig striker, but as play continued and de Ligt cleared the danger, van Dijk collapsed to the ground, instantly signalling to the bench. There followed several minutes of medical treatment as the Dutch captain appeared distraught on the ground. He was eventually stretchered off and replaced by Ajax’s Joël Veltman, but the damage was done. The Dutch immediately appeared cagier, less happy to commit men forward, and the Germans sensed a weakness which, until now, had not been visible in the Dutch side in this tournament.
In the 35th minute this newfound fragility was laid bare. A cross from Kai Havertz found Werner in acres of space in the 6 yard box. He rose to meet the ball and made no mistake, burying the ball into the bottom left corner. Replays suggested that Veltman and de Ligt had each left the German to the other, and this breakdown in communication ensured that the Dutch were trailing at half time. There was no doubt that the withdrawal of van Dijk had proven costly, but a team with so many attacking options (7 different players had registered a goal in the group stages) must surely have felt that they were still perfectly capable of getting back into the game after the break. Sadly for the stands decked out in orange, this recovery would never materialise.
The second half began with the Germans clearly on top, a dominance they would maintain until full time. They played some truly wonderful football, crisp passing coupled with incisive runs, this was the Germany that demolished Brazil in Mineirão in 2014, and their opponents looked in danger of a similar humiliation after a quick-fire double from Serge Gnabr. The first was a lovely run from the Bayern Munich winger, perfectly found by Kroos on the edge of the area, where he slotted a first time effort across Jasper Cillessen. The second saw Gnabr cut inside and, helped by a slip from Veltman, take the ball into the Dutch area before sliding it under Cillessen. Dutch heads dropped and it appeared that, quite aside from exiting a competition which they had fast become favourites to win, they would face a humbling at the hands of their greatest rivals.
As it was, they rallied admirably. The introduction of Malen in the 65th minute added some real potency to the Dutch attack, the young striker hitting the post almost immediately after neat work from Babel had played him through. He turned provider in the 73rd as his lovely back heel played in Promes, who had been quiet until now. The frustrated Ajax striker let fly with such venom that, despite Manuel Neuer’s strong hand, the ball flew into the roof of the net. There was no celebration as the Dutch gathered the ball and hurried back to the centre circle, but they would not threaten the German goal again, as Löw’s men shut out the game.
Full time was greeted with delirious celebrations from the Germans, to the point that an uninformed onlooker may have expected to see the trophy presentation and ticker-tape cannons being prepared. To anyone who has watched this German side in this tournament, however, the reason was plain to see. They went into this match as underdogs against a much-fancied Dutch side, but had overcome all odds and played some really attractive football in the process. The Dutch will point to the loss of their captain as the crucial moment in the match, but their counterparts still had to be at the top of their game to capitalise on that and also to shut out the potent Dutch attack in the final 30 minutes of the match. The Germans deserved to go through tonight, and for the Dutch it’s yet another tournament of underachievement to add to their not small collection. Ryan Gigg’s Wales await Germany in Baku next Saturday.