The Netherlands beat Poland 2-1 with the decisive goal from former Man Utd player Wout Weghorst.

Wout Weghorst is mentioned as one of the seasonal contracts that does not make too much of an impression at Man Utd in 2023. But in the Dutch team, he is a player who brings a lot of luck. In the Netherlands’ opening match at EURO 2024, Wout Weghorst scored the decisive goal to bring 3 points for Koeman’s army.

In the 83rd minute, Weghorst scored quickly from Ake’s pass, defeating Szczesny, setting the score 2-1. That was the time when the Netherlands was playing quite deadlocked and Koeman was forced to take both Gakpo and Depay off the field when they were caught by the Polish defense. Koeman made the right choice and it only took Weghorst exactly 2 minutes from entering the field to make his first mark in EURO 2024.

Wout Weghorst scored the decisive goal, helping the Netherlands win.

In fact, looking at the match, many people thought the Netherlands had to win quickly and decisively in the first half.

The orange tornado was full of enthusiasm and attacked right after the opening whistle. Facing an underrated Poland, lacking key striker Lewandowski, the Netherlands quickly took over the game, rushing troops into the opponent’s field. The fast, exciting pace of ball deployment helped the Netherlands continuously have opportunities.

However, when fans thought a goal would soon come for Koeman and his team, Poland suddenly opened the scoring. In the 16th minute, on Poland’s first corner kick in the first half, Buksa chose the right spot and scored a header. In this losing situation, the Dutch defense was not aggressively marking, allowing Buksa to escape, shaking his head technically. Buksa was chosen to replace Lewandowski on the “White Eagles” attack line and he did not disappoint coach Michał Probierz’s expectations.

Buksa (16) scored his first goal for Poland at EURO 2024.

The early loss forced the Netherlands to play more effectively. In turn, Depay, Gakpo, and Ximons had the opportunity to bring the match back to the starting line. The Polish defense braced to fight back, with the incredible excellence of goalkeeper Szczesny.

Minute 28, luck smiled on the Netherlands. Gakpo shot from afar, the ball hit defender Bednarek and changed direction, causing goalkeeper Szczesny to give up. Gakpo, the most aggressive and inspiring player for the team, was deservedly rewarded.

Gakpo equalized for the Netherlands.

With the equalizer, the Netherlands became more confident in putting pressure on their opponents. But the lack of precision in finishing situations made Gakpo, Depay and Xavi Simons hang their heads in disappointment.

Poland does not have a disruptive factor, and they accept playing underdogs, trying to tighten the formation blocks, playing defense. The depth in the defensive line helped Poland stand firm throughout most of the second half, until Wout Weghorst appeared and penetrated Szczesny’s net with a lightning-fast strike.

The 2-1 score helped the Netherlands smile on their first day at EURO 2024. For Poland, they need to make efforts to get better results in the remaining 2 matches, when they have a ticket to the knock-out round. Also for the best 3rd ranked teams.