Hamburg (Germany): The Netherlands overcame an early setback to defeat Poland 2-1 in Hamburg, with former Manchester United striker Wout Weghorst coming off the bench to score a decisive late winner in Group D opener, here on Sunday.
Poland, missing their star striker Robert Lewandowski due to a hamstring injury, found an early hero in Adam Buksa. Buksa, stepping in for Lewandowski, capitalized on a Piotr Zielinski corner to head Poland into the lead in the 16th minute. The goal stunned the Dutch side, who had already squandered good chances through Tijjani Reijnders and Xavi Simons.
The Netherlands, however, quickly sought redemption. Memphis Depay, having missed a golden opportunity by lifting his shot over the bar just minutes earlier, saw his team level the score when Cody Gakpo’s deflected shot wrong-footed Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny in the 29th minute. This goal marked the beginning of an intense offensive display from Gakpo, who registered five attempts in the first half, the joint-most on record for a Dutch player in the first half of a match at the Euros since 1980.
Poland, needing to regroup, showed renewed vigor after the halftime break. Jakub Kiwior’s shot deflected off Nathan Ake, forced a save from Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. Piotr Zielinski then tested Verbruggen again with a long-range effort, highlighting Poland’s determination to regain the lead.
The Dutch responded with equal intensity. Denzel Dumfries came close, sweeping an attempt wide of the far post. The breakthrough for the Netherlands came in the 84th minute when substitute Wout Weghorst, still on Burnley’s roster, latched onto a clever through ball from Nathan Ake.
Weghorst coolly guided the ball into the net, marking his seventh goal in his last 11 appearances for the Oranje and securing a late lead.
Poland refused to bow out quietly. Substitute Karol Swiderski nearly equalized when he met Jakub Piotrowski’s cross, firing a low shot that forced Verbruggen into a full-stretch save. Piotrowski’s follow-up, however, was sent into the side-netting, sealing Poland’s fate.
The victory places the Netherlands at the top of Group D, with the next match featuring France and Austria set to take place in Dusseldorf on Monday.
–IANS