The Oranje completed a comeback to snatch the crucial three points at Aviva Stadium.
Netherlands defeated Ireland 2-1 in their Euro 2024 qualifier on Sunday. The hard-earned victory keeps Ronald Koeman’s side in Group B’s second spot.
What happened?
Ireland shocked the visitors with an early goal as Adam Idah made it 1-0 by converting a penalty in the fourth minute. But it didn’t take the Oranje to get back into the game.
Another spot-kick saw Cody Gakpo find the equalizer for Netherlands with a cool finish. The visitors pushed hard to complete their comeback before the break. But they had to wait until the 56th minute to score their second goal of the night.
Koeman’s substitution of Daley Blind with Wout Weghorst paid off when the striker converted a brilliant assist from Denzel Dumfries to make it 2-1 for Netherlands. The visitors pushed hard to increase their lead in the final 20 minutes but couldn’t convert their chances.
The victory sends Netherlands to the second spot on the Group B table while Ireland slip to the fourth place.
Ireland vs Netherlands: Man of the Match
Dumfries made an excellent performance for Netherlands as they defeated Ireland 2-1. The Inter Milan star dominated the right flank, constantly rushing forward to help Netherlands in their quest to turn the game around. He also used his chest to provide a precise assist for Weghorst’s goal in the second half.
Player Ratings
Ireland: Bazunu (5), Collins (5), Duffy (6), Egan (5), Doherty (6), Browne (6), Cullen (6), McClean (6), Ogbene (5), Knight (7), Idah (7).
Bench: Manning (5), McGrath (6), Smallbone (6), Ebosele (5), Armstrong (6).
Netherlands: Flekken (5), Dumfries (7), Blind (5), Ake (6), Van Dijk (6), De Ligt (7), Wieffer (6), De Jong (7), Simons (6), Gakpo (7), Malen (7).
Bench: Weghorst (7), Koopmeiners (6), Lang (6), Berghuis (-).