Orange from heaven to hell and back again after a crazy end against Ukraine | European Championship 2020

The match started off strong. Ukraine immediately attacked, but as a result ran on a Dutch fast meter, which Depay did not complete. It was a sign of an impressive start for the Orange team, with excellent chances for Dumfries and Wijnaldum.

Ukraine emerged from the Dutch storm unscathed and was able to break out of the blockade fifteen minutes later. Yarmashuk signed the first Ukrainian goal-scoring attempt, a shot that cracked Stecklenburg’s hand.

After a short respite, the Dutch offensive line began to pick up speed again. Now also Wijnaldum and Dumfries came close to the opening goal, but the scoring did not work out with the Dutch, who after a strong first half went to the dressing rooms with a feeling of dissatisfaction.

In the second half, Orange was rewarded for the effort. Wijnaldum received the ball from the Ukrainian goalkeeper and scored the deserved goal 1-0, and Weghorst was already there before the 2-0, again thanks to Dumfries’ preparations.

With a double lead on the board, Holland slowed down a bit. Ukraine looked as though it had been beaten and seemed ready to be slaughtered, until Yarmolenko suddenly conjured a huge icicle from his sole. I was given a lot of space to play and the ball was drawn nicely in the top corner: 2-1.

And what no one thought possible, it actually happened: ten minutes before the whistle, Yaremchuk made it 2-2 with a brilliant header. Panic and disbelief at the Johan Cruyff Arena, but this match saw one final in-store plot. Even Dumfries, who had the first two goals, won the Orange lineup: 3-2 after a fantastic evening of football.

• Frenkie de Jong (Netherlands): “It was frustrating that the goal was so long behind, but you better get the chances, because if you don’t get the chances, you can’t score. We knew that if we continued like this, the goal would eventually fall. Players are ahead, so we give energy. Also for the audience and we take that back from them. I think we did a good job.”

• Georgino Wijnaldum (Netherlands): “We played a good game, but within 10 minutes we missed two chances and it equalized. Then they gained confidence and we had to chase it again. We kept looking for 3-2 with confidence. Fortunately, I fell, but it could have been different. We are learning how to play a match like this. This is room for improvement.”

• Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine coach): “I think it’s great how my team reacted after 2-0. We turned things around and suddenly we had chances. Of course you’re disappointed, because at some point we had a good chance. But in the end we made a mistake, we should have approached it differently. at 3-2”.