The Netherlands have reached the semi-finals of the European Championship for the first time in 20 years. Ronald Koeman's team beat Turkey 2:1 in Berlin.
Six strong minutes were enough for the Dutch to secure their place in the semi-finals. In the 70th minute, defender Stefan de Vrij scored after a corner kick and subsequent cross from Memphis Depay to make it 1:1 and shortly after the start of the final quarter of an hour, Cody Gakpo made the turnaround perfect with the 2:1.
Turkey, something like the second home team at this European Championship, found themselves robbed of the reward for their good work within a very short space of time in front of their vociferous fans in Berlin. For most of the time, the Turks made an excellent, solid impression and set the tone. The astonishing 19-year-old Arda Güler, still mostly a substitute at Real Madrid, was often partly responsible for the attacking highlights. In the 35th minute, his cross found the completely free Samet Akaydin, who scored with his head to make it 1-0. And in the 56th minute, only the post prevented the teenager from scoring from a free kick.
The 2:0 was in the air more often than the 1:1. It was only thanks to goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen that the second goal was prevented in the 65th minute. This save was the wake-up call for the Elftal, who now attacked with more vigor and more personnel and were promptly rewarded. A short corner kick confused the Turkish defense for the first time before the 0:1. Later, it was Denzel Dumfries' low cross that allowed Gakpo to score his fourth European Championship goal in an unconventional manner. This makes the Liverpool striker the top scorer at this tournament.
The decisive figure, however, was De Vrij. The experienced defender, a team-mate of Dumfries and Yann Sommer at Inter Milan, not only scored his fourth international goal to make it 1:1, but later prevented a 2:2 for his beaten keeper. In general, the Turks showed a final offensive that deserved a goal. But after De Vrij, goalkeeper Verbruggen also made an impressive veto when he brilliantly saved 18-year-old Semih Kilicsoy's shot in stoppage time.
To secure a second European Championship final after the one they won in 1988, the Netherlands still have to beat England on Wednesday. Turkey, meanwhile, provided a sample of their capabilities. This team, coached by Italian Vincenzo Montella, is a force to be reckoned with in the future.
Telegram:
Netherlands - Turkey 2:1 (0:1)
Berlin. - 70'091 spectators. - Ref Turpin. - Goals: 35. Akaydin 0:1. 70. De Vrij 1:1. 76. Müldür (own goal) 2:1.
Netherlands: Verbruggen; Dumfries, De Vrij, Van Dijk, Aké (73. Van de Ven); Schouten, Simons (87. Zirkzee), Reijnders (73. Veerman); Bergwijn (46. Weghorst), Depay (87. Frimpong), Gakpo.
Turkey: Günok; Müldür (72. Celik), Ayhan (89. Kilicsoy), Akaydin (72. Tosun), Bardakci, Kadioglu; Yilmaz, Özcan (77. Yokuslu), Calhanoglu, Yildiz (77. Aktürkoglu); Güler.
Comments: Netherlands complete. Turkey without Demiral, Kökcü and Yüksek (all suspended). 56th goal by Güler. Cautions: 30 for Simons, 54 for Aké, 64 for Van Dijk, 94 for Tosun, 94 for Montella (Turkey coach), 96 for Yildirim (Turkey substitute), 96 for Weghorst.
