Euros 2020: Wijnaldum, Dumfries star in Netherlands' 3-2 win over Ukraine [Watch]

Euros 2020: Wijnaldum, Dumfries star in Netherlands’ 3-2 win over Ukraine [Watch]
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Euros 2020: Wijnaldum, Dumfries star in Netherlands’ 3-2 win over Ukraine [Watch]

Highlights

Netherlands captain Gini Wijnaldum netted the opening goal in his side’s 3-2 win over Ukraine in their game of the Euros 2020 on Sunday.

Netherlands captain Gini Wijnaldum netted the opening goal in his side's 3-2 win over Ukraine in their game of the Euros 2020 on Sunday.

The goal was Netherlands' first at a World Cup/European Championship in as many as 2,528 days, when the former Liverpool star himself scored at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, according to Opta Johan.


It was also Wijnaldum's 15th goal in his last 26 appearances for the Oranje after scoring just eight goals in his first 50 caps for the Netherlands. Overall, he has now netted 23 goals in as many as 73 matches for his country since his international debut in 2011.

Soon after Wijnaldum's opener, Netherlands' lead was doubled, courtesy of a brilliant finish from VfL Wolfsburg forward Wout Weghorst. But Ukraine pulled one back through Andriy Yarmolenko's terrific 25-yard finish and, four minutes later, Roman Yaremchuk headed the equaliser and the Dutch fans among the 16,000 spectators in the stadium.

However, Netherlands snatched a winner a few minutes before full-time, thanks to Denzel Dumfries' excellent 85th minute header after receiving a cross from substitute Nathan Ake. Dumfries, who netted his maiden international goal, handed Netherlands a victory on their return to the major tournament after being absent for seven long years.



In a post-match interview, Netherlands manager Frank de Boer, who has come into the Euros 2020 on the back of 11 games in charge of the Dutch side, has said that his team will not concede another big lead under his management.

"I saw a Dutch team that played very balanced and dominant. We can be proud. We analyze such games almost to the death. We want to do everything we can to ensure that something like this [comeback] doesn't happen again," de Boer was quoted by Goal, as saying in an interview after Netherlands' 3-2 win win on Sunday.

Meanwhile, 25-year-old Dumfries, who became Netherlands' hero in their Euros 2020 opener, said his side never stopped believing even when Ukraine had equalised.

"The reason I scored the goal is that we kept believing. I knew there would be more opportunities and you have to be ready when the moment comes," Dumfries told UEFA.com after the game in Amsterdam.

Both Ukraine and Netherlands will next be in action on Thursday. While Ukraine take on North Macedonia in Bucharest, the Netherlands host Austria at the Amsterdam Arena.

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