Oranje's desperation is alleviated by Weghorst's initial contact with the ball.
Hoffenheim's Wout Weghorst steps in as a wildcard for the Netherlands against Poland, scoring the winning goal in the 83rd minute (1:1) at the European Championship match in Hamburg. Initially, the Dutch team had a firm grip on the game, but Poland's early lead kept them on their toes for quite some time.
Cody Gakpo (29.) equalized Poland's surprising lead, scored by Adam Buksa (16.), earlier.
Poland, without their injured star player Robert Lewandowski, is under pressure in Group D. Other opponents in the group stage include top contender France and Austria, coached by Ralf Rangnick.
With over 20,000 Orange fans among the 50,000 spectators at the Volksparkstadion, the Dutch team was the dominating force. Dutch supporters hyped up the mood in the Hanseatic city all day long, with a harmonious march to their team's first appearance.
Missed Opportunities
The Dutch team has fond memories of Hamburg. They beat their arch-rivals Germany 2:1 in the 1988 EM semifinals, and later won their only major title against the Soviet Union with a 2:0 in Munich. Current Netherlands coach, Ronald Koeman, was a key player on that team. A memorable moment from that era includes Koeman appearing to wipe the back of his jersey with Olaf Thon's after the semifinals, even though he later apologized during visits to the neighboring country.
The Dutch team spirit was not affected by an incident near the Hamburg Reeperbahn and the EM Fanfest, where a man was shot by the police. There was initial speculation of a connection to the EM, but it was later ruled out.
The only concern for Koeman's team was the conversion of chances. Gakpo had an early opportunity to seize the lead, and later, Tijjani Reijnders and Memphis Depay also squandered good chances. The team rectified their mistakes after around 15 minutes. After a corner, Buksa took advantage of a mix-up between Virgil van Dijk and Denzel Dumfries and headed in Poland's surprising leading goal.
Poland Struggles
However, the Dutch team was not flustered and kept pressing the speed of play. After around 30 minutes, the attack momentum of the team was rewarded. The strong Nathan Ake intercepted a ball from the Poles and passed it directly to Gakpo, who pulled into the middle and powerfully finished. The ball was deflected by the Polish defender Bartosz Salamon and found its way to the well-deserved equalizer in the goal.
Depay and the striker from Liverpool also had chances to put the Dutch team ahead before halftime, but both missed excellent opportunities. The 1:1 at halftime was a generous scoreline for the Poles.
Even after the second half, only the Netherlands continued to play. However, the Oranje team lacked the needed determination in front of the goal. Poland managed counter-attacks against the Dutch team's firm defense occasionally, with Jakub Kiwior providing the best chance for the underdog in the 57th minute. In the 81st minute, Weghorst came on, and just two minutes later, he became the hero of the Oranje team.
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Despite the absence of their star player Robert Lewandowski, Poland's Group D opponents include the European Football Championship 2024 contender France and Austria, both posing significant challenges. Preparing for these matches, 1899 Hoffenheim's Wout Weghorst could prove valuable, given his impressive performance for the Netherlands, scoring the winning goal against Poland in the Soccer Bundesliga.
