Macdara Ferris reports from Berlin’s Olympiastadion
The Netherlands will play in their first European Championship semi-final for 20 years after coming from behind in Berlin to beat Türkiye. It was Dutch delight with the 2-1 win in the Olympiastadion thanks to two goals in the final 20 minutes from Stefan De Vrij and an own goal from Mert Müldür.
Türkiye had brought the chaos in their last two games and the wonder was could they keep up that high energy tempo in this quarter-final. Their manager Vincenzo Montella had spoken about his team letting the ‘emotion got the better of them’ in their win over Czechia in the last group game that added to some of their suspension worries.
With Turkish president Recep Erdoğan watching on in the stands, this time around Montello got a much more measured approach from his side who sat off the Netherlands. With a back five patrolling ahead of Mert Günok, they let the Dutch play in front of them and looked to hit them on the break.
Having deployed Arda Güler in a false nine position in their win over Austria in the round of 16, in this match he sat in behind Dans Alper Yilmaz who led the line for Türkiye against Virgil van Dijk.
The 19-year-old Güler was a constant threat to the Dutch. The Real Madrid player’s set pieces had provided both goals in the 2-1 win over Austria and he was involved in a set piece that saw them get the opening goal of this game.
It came in the 35th minute from a cleared Hakan Calhanoglu corner. The ball came out to Güler who took it down with his left and curled one in with his right that was perfect for Samet Akaydin to rise highest to head home from inside the six yard box with the ball brushing the underside of the crossbar on its way in.
The Dutch did have slightly more of the ball in the first half (53%) but they failed to find the target from the four shots that they did have. Ronald Koeman had named an unchanged team from their 3-0 win over Romania last time out.
Within the first minute Memphis Depay picked up a lovely flicked nutmeg from Cody Gakpo allowing him to get in the box but he blasted the ball over the bar.
It was a wall of whistles when the Dutch had the ball with Turkish fans right around the bowl of the Olympic stadium bar the Orange section opposite the Marathon gate end of the venue.
Having started the game well though they drifted out of it and Türkiye got on top from mid-way through the half and were worthy of their 1-0 lead at the break.
Koeman brought the big man Wout Weghorst on at the break, withdrawing the fairly ineffectual Steven Bergwijn as they looked to unlock the Crescent-Starts defence. And they certainly stepped it up in the second half.
Wout’s header across the six yard box just fell behind the outstretched boot of his teammate Depay and indeed Akaydin who took a swipe at it.
Nathan Aké went into referee Clément Turpin’s book for hacking down Güler as he drove through the centre towards goal. The teenage sensation lined the resulting free kick up and from 30 yards whipped it left footed around the wall and off the base of the post.
Bans Alper Yilmaz showed a clean pair of heels to van Dijk who forced him over the sideline as he was about to get by him. The captain went in the book and from the free kick the ball came out to Kenan Yildiz. His long range shot was well saved by Bart Verbruggen with a strong hand pushing it away from Dutch danger.
The equaliser came in the 70th minute after a sustained amount of pressure and from another set piece. Depay’s short corner to Jerdy Schouten came back to him and his cross was met by a powerful downward header from Stefan De Vrij.
The Dutch didn’t stop there thought as six minutes later they had the lead. Gakpo looked like he had scored his fourth of the tournament but Müldür’s touch was the one that took it by Mert Günok in the Turkish goal.
The chaotic Turkish attack returned late on as they piled forward to try and take the match into extra-time. The Dutch were flinging themselves in front of a number of late shots.
Brave blocks at the back stopped the game going for another 30 minutes with substitute Van de Ven, Schouten and Denzel Dumfries doing the honours for the Oranje.
There were three yellow cards and a red for Bertuğ Yıldırım from the bench in second half injury time but no further goals.
It is all quite a turnaround for the Netherlands who put in such a poor performance against Austria in this venue in losing their last group game.
But having picked themselves up to eliminate Romania in the round of 16, this second half display has earned the Dutch a place in the semi-final in Dortmund on Wednesday against England.
Netherlands: Bart Verbruggen; Denzel Dumfries, Stefan de Vrij, Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Aké (Micky van de Ven 72); Jerdy Schouten, Xavier Simons (Joshua Zirkzee 87), Tijani Reijnders (Joey Veerman 73), Steven Bergwijn (Wout Weghorst h/t), Memphis Depay (Jeremie Frimpong 87), Cody Gakpo;
Subs not used: Mark Flekken, Justin Bijlow, Matthijs de Ligt, Daley Blind, Lutsharel Geertruida, Georginio Wijnaldum, Ryan Gravenberch, Brian Brobbey, Donyell Malen.
Booked: Xavi Simons (30), Nathan Aké (54), Virgil van Dijk (64), Wout Wieghorst (90+7)
Türkiye: Mert Günok; Mert Müldür (Zeki Celik 82), Kaan Ayhan (Semih Kılıçsoy 89), Samet Akaydin (Cenk Tosun 82), Abdülkerim Bardakcı, Ferdi Kadıoğlu; Hakan Calhanoglu, Salih Özcan (Okay Yokuslu 77); Arda Güler, Baris Yilmaz, Kenan Yıldız (Kerem Akturkoglu 77).
Subs not used: Altay Bayindir, Ugurcan Cakir, Ahmetcan Kaplan, , Irfan Kahveci, Yusuf Yazici, Yunus Akgun, Bertuğ Yıldırım.
Booked: Cenk Tosun (90+3), Vincenzo Montella (90+5)
Sent off: Bertuğ Yıldırım (90+6)
Referee: Clément Turpin (France).
extratime.com Player of the Match: Stefan de Vrij (Netherlands)
