CODY GAKPO is a man for big moments.
Liverpool fans haven’t used that slogan very much, if at all.
7Cody Gakpo was the star of the show scoring the opening goal in the Netherlands’ 3-0 win against RomaniaCredit: Getty
7Gakpo then assisted Holland’s goal scored by Donyell MalenCredit: AP
7Malen then hit the third goal to seal the deal for the NetherlandsCredit: EPA
The Anfield wideman, however, guided Holland into the last eight with a goal and an assist for Donyell Malan, who also scored the third.
In truth, the Dutch should have had a few more against a Romanian team that faltered after a promising start.
This was a remarkable performance by Ronald Koeman’s team, a powerful response to the criticism and disappointment of their 3-2 setback to Austria in their final group game.
Gakpo’s first-half goal moved him to joint top of the goalscoring statistics with three.
In addition to the three he scored at the Qatar World Cup, six of his 12 goals for his country have come in significant events.
Koeman and his teammates won Holland’s lone big prize here in Munich, in the Olympiastadion, when they defeated the USSR in the 1988 Europan Championship final.
Following this confidence-boosting performance, and with a favourable draw, they should be optimistic about their chances of winning again.
Gakpo’s goal transformed the game and the entire atmosphere in the stadium.
Their national anthem, when sung loudly, is powerful, proclaiming that Roman blood still courses in their veins as a result of Emperor Trajan’s conquest approximately 2,000 years ago.
Romania began as a team driven by history and the promise of making more, reaching the final eight of a major tournament for the third time.
The fans cheered them on as they flung themselves into challenges and charged at the Dutch backline.
A better pass from Ianis Hagi could have unleashed frontman Denis Dragus.
Dragus’s better touch as he got in behind Stefan De Vrij would have given him the opportunity to open the scoring.
Dennis Man shot barely over the bar, and the Dutch appeared worried.
Then Koeman’s side got the lead from almost nothing, and it was a terrible goal to concede.
The ball was moved out to Gakpo on the left, who was undoubtedly racing fast.
But Romania’s blue-haired right back, Andrei Ratiu, made an even bigger spectacle of himself by showing the Liverpool midfielder the inside as if he had never seen him play before.
Florin Nita, the custodian, could only flap his weak hands at Gakpo’s shot, which went in at his near post.
Hagi and Man both had off-target shots before the Dutch fans behind Nita’s goal celebrated a second goal, only to discover that De Vrij’s header from Memphis Depay’s corner had gone into the side net.
Then it took some excellent defending by Tottenham’s Radu Dragusin to prevent Steven Bergwijn’s cross reaching Depay.
The former Manchester United man was increasingly able to sneak into dangerous positions despite his distinctive white headband.
Holland had the opportunity to expand their lead twice more. First Tijjani Reijnders took too long to shoot, then Xavi Simons dallied even longer, after more good work by Dumfries, before hitting the ball tamely shooting tamely wide.
Romania had a couple of surges late in the half, but you still felt boss Edward Iordanescu needed to deliver the team of his life at halftime to help his team rediscover their initial aggression and purpose.
It didn’t seem like he had.
Reijnders was allowed to run half the length of the pitch before his shot was blocked.
Then Depay seemed to panic with the goal at his mercy after half-time sub-Donyell Malen’s shot was deflected into his path. Nita gratefully dropped on the ball.
Malen wasted a three-on-two break and from the resulting Depay corner, Virgil Van Dijk grazed a post with a header.
Then it was Gakpo’s turn to run opposed deep into the Romanian half, and he forced Nita into a decent stop. He had the ball in the net after the corner that followed, but VAR ruled it out for a clear offside.
That reprieve roused the Romanian crowd. But not their team was still on the rack, with Depay sending a free kick just wide.
Gakpo teed up substitute Joey Veerman with a brilliant backheel but again the target was narrowly missed. Simons almost scored by accident when the ball was cleared onto him and then Malen mucked up another overload that ended with Gakpo’s shot being blocked.
Finally, the second goal arrived with seven minutes to go.
Tottenham defender Radu Dragusin allowed Gakpo to wriggle past him on the byline and even Malen couldn’t miss from inside the six-yard box.And the Borussia Dortmund forward wrapped it up deep in stoppage time with a good finish after another pacy break.
If Gakpo keeps shining brighter in orange than he does in red, then Holland could go all the way.
