Welcome to Sportstar's coverage of the Euro 2020 Group C match between the Netherlands and Ukraine from the Amsterdam Arena.
That is all for today. Thanks for tuning in. Goodnight and stay safe.
MATCH REPORT: Euro 2020: Netherlands edges out Ukraine in five-goal thriller
What a return by the Netherlands in major tournament football. After a goalless first half, the second half was nothing but high-intensity action.
After Wijnaldum and Weghorst's goals, the home team seemed to be heading for an imminent win with Ukraine looking out of steam. However, Shevchenko's men fought back as goals from Yarmolenko and Yaremchuk turned the game on its head.
With a draw seeming the most likely result, Denzel Dumfries of the Netherlands finally took his chance and scored the third goal for his team.
Stay tuned for the match report!!
FULL TIME!!! (Netherlands 3 Ukraine 2)- The Dutch makes a winning return in major tournament football but it was far from easy.
90+3' BOOKING- Sydorchuk gets a yellow for body checking Luuk De Jong.
90+1' CHANGE- Donyell Malen comes on for Memphis Depay.
FIVE-ADDED MINUTES!!! Enough time for an equaliser!!
88' CHANGE- Luuk De Jong and Joel Veltman replaces Wout Weghorst and Jurrien Timber .
85' GOOOAAALLLL!!! NETHERLANDS SCORES!!! ITS DUMFRIES!! What a match this is turning out to be. With a draw seeming imminent after Ukraine's brilliant comeback, its Dumfries who finally makes good of his chance. A brilliant cross by Ake, Dumfries leaped up to head the ball towards Buschan's goal, who got a hand but couldn't keep the ball from going inside the net.
81' What a second half we have had. Amazing resolve shown by Ukraine. From struggling to get a hold of the game in the second half, the visitor has silenced the Amsterdam Arena with a brilliant comeback.
79' GOOOOAAALLL!!!! ITS YAREMCHUK NOW!! COMEBACK COMPLETE BY UKRAINE!!! A brilliant free-kick by Ukraine. Yaremchuk, brilliantly positioned, leaped to guide the floating ball past a diving Stekelenburg.
74' GOAAAALLLLLL!!!! ITS YARMOLENKO FOR UKRAINE!!! ITS A STUNNER!! Ukraine back in the match. Top-shelf stuff from Yarmalenko as he drifted inside and curled the ball beyond the reach of Stekelenburg. Nothing he could have done. Welcome motivation for Ukraine.
71' SHOT!! A well-taken shot by Ukraine's Yaremchuk but it did not trouble Stekelenburg at all as he makes his first save in the second half and collects the ball.
68' Ukraine has lost all momentum and the game is heavily tilting towards the Dutch at present. Stekelenburg has been a mere spectator in the second half.
64' CHANGE- Marlos is replaced by Mykola Shaparenko.
63' CHANGES- Owen Wijndal and Nathan Ake replace Van Aanholt and Daley Blind.
60' VAR CHECK FOR POSSIBLE FOUL!! GOAL GIVEN!!
58' GOOOAAALLLL!!! Its Weghorst with Netherland's second- Weghorst scores Netherland's second goal just six minutes after the first. Its Dumfries at the heart of the move. He ventured inside Ukraine's box despite pressure from Mykolenko. The loose ball fell to Weghorst, whose deflected shot ends up inside the net.
55' SAVE!! Weghorst tries to score a quick second for the Netherlands as he lines one up from inside the area. But the shot was at a comfortable height for Buschan.
52' GOOOAAALLLL!!! Netherlands has finally scored. Its captain Wijnaldum- Dumfries' low cross is palmed away by Buschan but the rebound fell to Wijnaldum, who finished exquisitely to break the deadlock. Top-corner finish.
50' Dumfries looks to create as he tries to square a ball towards Weghorst in the box. However, he was tracked by Marlos, who didn't allow Dumfries much time to send in his cross.
47' Ukraine enjoying early possession in the second half. No danger posed yet as the Dutch maintaining its defensive shape well.
SECOND HALF UNDERWAY!!
The match could not have asked for a better start as it had a good tempo to it in the opening minutes of the game.
Despite enjoying the better chances, it would be an exaggeration to say that the Netherlands has dominated the proceedings. Ukraine has had its fair share of chances too, with the duo of Yarmolenko and Yaremchuk at the heart of most of them.
Ukraine keeper Buschan has been the standout performer for the visitor in the first half with a flurry of good stops, the highlight being Wijnaldum's 39th-minute volley. For the home team, Dumfries has been its brightest presence on the pitch.
The match is beautifully poised for the second half.
ONE MINUTE ADDED!!
44' Ukraine with a rare attack as Yarmolenko and Yaremchuk try to combine and break the deadlock. Stekelenburg stands strong.
43' Ukraine pegged back to its own half with minutes before the half-time whistle. The away-team is desperate not to concede before half-time.
41' Malinovsky tries to thread one to Yaremchuk, after finding himself in a bit of space. But Yaremchuk could not read Malinovsky's intention as the ball goes out of play.
39' HUGE SAVE by Buschan!! Gini Wijnaldum with a stinging shot on the volley but Buschan with an outstanding save, especially because the shot took a deflection on its way to the Ukraine keeper.
36' Netherland's output in the final-third has been below-average till now. The home team is spending a lot of time in Ukraine's half but has nothing substantial to show for it.
33' Depay trying to link up with Dumfires yet again as the former put in a searching ball inside Ukraine's box. But the cross had too much weight as Dumfries saw the ball go out of play before he could reach it.
30' SAVE by Buschan!!! A huge save from the Ukraine keeper. Netherlands forward Weghorst found himself with space inside the Ukraine box but Buschan's timely dive at Weghorst's feet prevented the Dutch from dispatching his shot.
27' CLOSE- Dumfries, Netherlands' liveliest player till now sends in another brilliant ball into the box, but no one there to turn it in.
25' Both teams resorting to a direct approach which is keeping the game wide open for either teams to capitalise.
22' Great counter by Ukraine after a brilliant bit of play on the left flank. Yarmolenko with ample space and time to find a teammate in the Dutch box but delays his decision as Netherland players get back in numbers.
19' Ukraine enjoying a nice stretch of possession on the ball. A couple of quick passes allows the away team to break the Dutch press and venture forward towards the Dutch goal.
16' Yaremchuk with a weak shot towards Stekelenburg, which the Dutch gathers without fuss.
14' CHANGE- Early injury concern for Ukraine. Zubkov is replaces by Marlos.
12' Netherlands has brought in Frenkie De Jong pretty early into the game. This is allowing it to dictate the pace of the game, especially in the middle of the park.
9' De Boer's men making optimum utilisation of the press. Ukraine is working hard to keep the home team at bay.
7' SHOT!! Netherlands creating majority of the early pressure. Its Wijnaldum with the shot this time but its high above target.
6' SAVE by Buschan!! Great play by the Netherlands inside Ukraine's box. Gini Wijnaldum set up Dumfries for a shot but its brilliantly saved by Ukraine's keeper.
4' End-to-end start to the game as Ukraine is definitely not sitting back and is looking to take the game to the Netherlands.
3' SAVE by Buschan!!! What a start to the game. Ukraine with a flurry of activity near Netherlands' box but all it took was a bad pass by Zinchenko, which Depay picked up and burst forward. His shot at the end of his run, however, was saved fairly comfortably.
1' KICK-OFF!!! The Amsterdam Arena is buzzing!!
12:30a.m IST- AND WE ARE UNDERWAY!!!
12:25a.m IST- Time for the national anthems. Kick-off just minutes away!!
12:15a.m IST- Quick form guide of last five matches for both teams; 15 minutes to kick-off!!
12:00am IST- Amsterdam is ready. 30 minutes to kick-off. Stay tuned!!
Come back stronger Christian!!
LINEUPS ARE OUT!!!
Netherlands starting XI- Stekelenburg (GK), Timber, De Vrij, Blind, Dumfries, de Roon, Wijnaldum (C), F. De Jong, Van Aanholt, Weghorst, Depay.
Coach: Frank De Boer
Ukraine starting XI- Buschan (GK), Mykolenko, Matviyenko, Zabarnyi, Karavaev, Zinchenko, Malinovsky, Sydorchuk, Zubkov, Yarmolenko (C), Yaremchuk .
Coach: Andriy Shevchenko
The Netherlands- Back after seven long years
Preview
Seven years is a long, long wait.
It's been that many years since the Netherlands mens team last played at a major tournament, dating back to the orange-clad team's run to the World Cup semifinals in 2014. On Sunday in Amsterdam, the Dutch will finally be back on the field to take on Ukraine at the European Championship.
“We know that we missed two final tournaments, but now we’re finally here and so we want to show what we can do, not just for fun but really for the prizes,” said Memphis Depay, the striker who is the undisputed focal point of the Dutch attack at Euro 2020.
The team's captain and defensive anchor, Virgil van Dijk, will have to wait even longer. He pulled out of the tournament to rehabilitate his surgically repaired knee.
READ| Euro 2020: Dutch midfielder Frenkie De Jong plays down fatigue factor
With Van Dijk sidelined, the 21-year-old centre back Matthijs de Ligt will be a key defender for the Netherlands, but he is trying to recover from a groin injury in time for the match.
“So far it’s going well,” the Juventus defender said. “I’ve been training well, together with the group.”
De Ligt is one of the Netherlands players that reached the Champions League semifinals in 2019 with Ajax and then moved to a major club, like so many talented youngsters produced by the Dutch club's youth academy.
Frenkie de Jong was also in that Ajax team and subsequently moved to Barcelona, where he developed into one of the best players during a tough season under former Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman. Barcelona ended up finishing third in the Spanish league.
De Jong, the Netherlands' key midfielder, said he's feeling fresh despite the long club season.
READ| Euro 2020, Group C preview: Netherlands set to dominate, Ukraine a force
“If a lot of people say to you, ‘You’ve played a lot, you must be tired,' it can get into your head," de Jong said. “But for me it's not an issue.”
De Jong's role in the midfield will depend on the formation Netherlands coach Frank de Boer chooses. He looks to be favouring a 5-3-2 setup over the traditional Dutch 4-3-3.
The Netherlands' only international title came at the 1988 European Championship. The Dutch have also reached three World Cup finals and lost them all.
About 16,000 fans will be allowed to watch Sunday's Group C match at the Johan Cruyff Arena. With coronavirus travel restrictions expected to keep most Ukrainian fans from travelling to the Netherlands, the vast majority will be Dutch.
Only a handful of players remain in the Dutch team from the last major tournament, the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
READ| Wijnaldum relieved to seal PSG move in time for start of Euro 2020
Among them are Depay, midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, defender Daley Blind and goalkeeper Tim Krul. Another keeper, Jasper Cillessen — replaced by Krul in the 2014 quarterfinal penalty shootout win over Costa Rica — will miss this tournament after testing positive for COVID-19.
Depay was an emerging talent in Brazil. Now he's one of the veterans of the team with 23 goals in 62 appearances.
“I have a feeling of responsibility that I have to carry the team, but I’ve always had this,” Depay said.
Ukraine qualified for the last two European Championships but has never progressed past the group stage. The country's main player is Oleksandr Zinchenko, who plays at left-back for Manchester City but is expected to switch to a central midfield role for his country.
The Ukrainians are coached by Andriy Shevchenko, whose mentality doesn't seem to have changed much from his playing days with the national team and clubs including AC Milan and Chelsea.
“He always wants to win," Ukraine midfielder Taras Stepanenko said. “Always, all matches, no matter what teams, he always wants to win.”
--Via AP --
Full Squads
The Netherlands
Goalkeepers: Marco Bizot, Tim Krul, Maarten Stekelenburg
Defenders: Nathan Ake, Daley Blind, Matthijs de Ligt, Stefan de Vrij, Denzel Dumfries, Patrick van Aanholt, Joel Veltman, Owen Wijndal
Midfielders: Frenkie de Jong, Marten de Roon, Ryan Gravenberch, Davy Klaassen, Teun Koopmeiners, Quincy Promes, Jurrien Timber, Georginio Wijnaldum
Forwards: Steven Berghuis, Luuk de Jong, Memphis Depay, Cody Gakpo, Donyell Malen, Wout Weghorst.
Manager: Frank de Boer
Ukraine
Goalkeepers: Georgiy Bushchan, Andriy Pyatov, Anatolii Trubin
Defenders: Oleksandr Karavaev, Serhiy Kryvtsov, Mykola Matviyenko, Vitaliy Mykolenko, Denys Popov, Eduard Sobol, Oleksandr Tymchyk, Illia Zabarnyi, Oleksandr Zinchenko
Midfielders: Roman Bezus, Yevhen Makarenko, Ruslan Malinovskyi, Marlos, Mykola Shaparenko, Taras Stepanenko, Heorhii Sudakov, Serhiy Sydorchuk, Viktor Tsygankov
Forwards: Artem Besedin, Artem Dovbyk, Roman Yaremchuk, Andriy Yarmolenko, Oleksandr Zubkov.
Manager: Andriy Shevchenko
Comments
SHARE