Wout Weghorst scores Netherlands winner against Poland – after predicting he would (2024)

James’s report appears above. You can follow Slovenia vs Denmark: Score and latest updates from Euro 2024 here if you like. Cheers!

Exciting match! The Netherlands cling on. They had 21 shots but only hit the target with four of them, this should really have been more comfortable. But the Dutch were wasteful and the Poles ran themselves ragged, and had some good counter-punching moments themselves. Best side won.

Two ways of looking at the Dutch performance: excellent movement and passing will cause anyone problems. Or wasteful, mentally lightweight and lacking a quality finisher.

Third way of looking at it is simply to say WOUT WEGHORST.

Ah that was really close. Waws that the moment? Moder has a crisp shot. Verbruggen does well.

Five minutes added.

WOUUUUTTTT WEGHORST.

Koeman’s had enough of Depay and Gakpo flipping around and the big man is to be wheeled into position. And presumably they get to bring on another sub as well, albeit that Weghorst looks so massive that you could make a Gakpo and a Depay out of him.

This feels like a mental challenge as much as a football one now for Netherlands. They should have wrapped this up an hour ago and be enjoying a schmoke and a pancakesh. Instead, this could go either way and I would not back against Poland pinching it.

20 shots. Twenty! They’ve only hit the target three times.

Poland now, suddenly, the side asking all the questions.

Koeman takes off Xavi Simons, who should have contributed more. Also Veerman.

Wijnaldum is on. Malen too.

We are off in the second half, Hamburg sunshine. And the Dutch are at it again! Denzel rises mightily at the back stick and nods it back across, the ball crying out for a final touch. W. Szczęsny with another handy save.

Szymański off at HT for the Poles. Moder on.

Sooooo close! Depay receives a long diagonal pass - a peach from Ake - and controls it beautifully, shades of Bergkamp, D there. But Memphis cannot find the finish to match and he drills it narrowly wide.

That’s going to be the last action of the first half.

So, let’s talk about Memphis Depay and that headband of his. You’ve got to fancy yourself when you don a strapping white head bandwith your No. 10 emblazoned in gold letteringon it. It’s the Euros, Memphis, not Wimbledon but then the man is only five goals short of equalling Robin van Persie’s national record of 50 goals

Poland: Szczesny, Bednarek, Salamon, Kiwior, Frankowski, Zielinski, Romanchuk, Zalewski, Sebastian Szymanski, Buksa, Urbanski. Subs: Dawidowicz, Walukiewicz, Piotrowski, Swiderski, Moder, Lewandowski, Grosicki, Skorupski, Puchacz, Damian Szymanski, Bereszynski, Bulka, Piatek, Slisz, Skoras.

Netherlands: Verbruggen, Dumfries, de Vrij, van Dijk, Ake, Schouten, Veerman, Simons, Reijnders, Gakpo, Depay. Subs: Geertruida, de Ligt, Wijnaldum, Weghorst, Frimpong, Bijlow, van de Ven, Blind, Malen, Maatsen, Zirkzee, Flekken, Bergwijn, Gravenberch.

Referee: Artur Soares Dias (Portugal)

The poor PA has been stopped in his tracks. All excited aboutdoing a countdown from 10 to kick off and referee Artur Dias goes and steals his thunder by blowing his whistle to start the match with our German friend still stuck on 5.

looking bang up for it, passionate singing of the anthem.

“Poland has not yet perished, So long as we still live. What the foreign force has taken from us, We shall with sabre retrieve.”

Woof. They’re not messing about.

Hamburg will bring back happy memories for the Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman. It was here, at the Volksparkstadion 36 years ago that Koeman helped inspire the Netherlands to a famous comeback win in the semi finals of Euro 88 against old enemy West Germany. Koeman converted the 74th minute penalty that cancelled out Lothar Matthaus’ opener and then found Jan Wouters, who rolled through a pass for Marco van Basten to claima dramatic winner two minutes from time.

Arguablymore famous than his contributionon the pitch, though, was Koeman’s post-match celebration. Having swapped shirts with Germany’s Olaf Thon, Koeman delighted the Dutch fans by pretending to wipe his backside with it. Asked later if he regretted his actions, Koeman said not. He’ll hope for another memorable result against Poland today, although hopefully there are no such provocative celebrations this time if he does win.

Unheralded Adam Buksa is entrusted with leading Poland’s attack in the absence of talisman Robert Lewandowski as they take on the Netherlands in the opening Group D clash at the European Championship in Germany.

The 27-year-old Buksa has six goals in 18 appearances and has some enormous boots to fill after Lewandowski, with 82 goals in 150 appearances for Poland, went off with a right thigh injury against Turkey in a friendly last Monday.

Kacper Urbanski, 19, makes his first start for Poland on the flank after only two appearances as a substitute, having won his first cap in the warm-up friendlies earlier this month.

The Dutch, hit by injuries in the midfield, will have the relatively inexperienced Tijjani Reijnders in a playmaking role with Joey Veerman behind him in the centre of their line-up but there were no surprises in coach Ronald Koeman’s selection.

Manchester United and Arsenal fans may be hoping to get a glimpse of Joshua Zirkzee for the Netherlands against Poland today. The Bologna striker was a late call-up to Ronald Koeman’s Dutch squad and does not make the starting XI but he’s of serious interest to United this summer and a player Arsenal have been monitoring for a while. He’s got a £33.8m release clause in his contract.

Betting on the game? Take a look at theseEuros betting offers and free bets.

Poland: Szczesny, Bednarek, Salamon, Kiwior, Frankowski, Zielinski, Romanchuk, Zalewski, Sebastian Szymanski, Buksa, Urbanski. Subs: Dawidowicz, Walukiewicz, Piotrowski, Swiderski, Moder, Lewandowski, Grosicki, Skorupski, Puchacz, Damian Szymanski, Bereszynski, Bulka, Piatek, Slisz, Skoras.

Netherlands: Verbruggen, Dumfries, de Vrij, van Dijk, Ake, Schouten, Veerman, Simons, Reijnders, Gakpo, Depay. Subs: Geertruida, de Ligt, Wijnaldum, Weghorst, Frimpong, Bijlow, van de Ven, Blind, Malen, Maatsen, Zirkzee, Flekken, Bergwijn, Gravenberch.

Referee: Artur Soares Dias (Portugal)

A major police operation has been launchedin central Hamburg after a man with an axe threatenedpolice officers.

Hamburg police say they shot and seriously injured the man, who is currentlyreceiving medical treatment.

In a statement on X, Hamburg police said: “There is currently a major police operation.

“According to initial findings, a person threatened police officers with a pickaxe and an incendiary device. The police then used their firearms.

“The attacker was injured and is currently receiving medical treatment.”

The incident is said to have taken place around 12.30pm local time on Silbersackstrasse near a fanzone for supporters of the Netherlands national team, who are due to face Poland in their opening Group D game at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion on Sunday afternoon.

According to eyewitness accounts, four loud bangs were heard and then scores of riot police moved in. Police have closed the Reeperbahn in Hamburg, not far from the fan zone where thousands of Holland fans are congregating.

The German newspaper Bild have reported that the incendiary device was a “Molotov co*cktail” in the attacker’s backpack. According to reports, the man was hit in the leg.

Euro 2024: Latest from Germany after police shoot axe-wielding man who threatened fans in Hamburg

Good afternoon and welcome to our live blog of the fifth game in Euro 2024, in which the always-watchable Netherlands take on the always-okayish Poland. For several years the Polish team has been summed up, perhaps not totally fairly, as Robert Lewandowski plus ten other guys.

But I’m afraid to say that on this occasion, it’s just 11 guys. The great man, now 35, has gone in the hamstring and will not play today. Indeed, there is suggestion that he will miss all of the group stages, although manager Michal Probierz has sounded an optimistic note by suggesting “Robert will probably join the team for the match against Austria. There is progress in his treatment. The medical staff are doing everything to get him back on his feet.” No doubt.

The Dutch have injury woes of their own ahead of this group D match in Hamburg: Barcelona’s brilliant Frenkie de Jong (ankle) pulled out of the Euros squad late and Atalanta midfielder Teun Koopmeiners (groin) will also not be seen in action at the Volksparkstadion.

That notwithstanding, Ronald Koeman reckons that his lads are in with a decent shout this time. “In my opinion, there is not a big favourite. Maybe the French team a little bit more than the rest because they have a lot of experience, they have won already big tournaments. But I think it will be an open fight between different nations. And one of them is Holland.”

Obviously a huge blow to lose de Jong, a genuine talent, but they have called up Bologna forward Joshua Zirkzee and Borussia Dortmund wing-back Ian Maatsen. Zirkzee was at Disney World in Florida when he got the call! Perhaps he can sprinkle some Disney magic on proceedings: the Poles certainly need some against this opponent. Poland have not beaten the Netherlands in 12 attempts, you have to go back to 1980 for a triumph over the Dutchers. The sides have not met at a tournament before.

Poland, sorry to say, tend to be making up the numbers at the Euros, they have qualified for the last five renewals including this one but they have only won two of 12 group games.

Three times out of four they have finished bottom of their group. With mighty France also in group D you’d imagine that they need something here and something against Austria to snap that streak. As for the Netherlands, they look less mercurial than Dutch sides of old but they still have a raft of quality players at top continental clubs, led of course by Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool, Nathan Age of Man City, Matthijs de Ligt of the much-loved German megacorp Brian Munchen and the superbly named Denzel Dumfries of Internazionale.