Euro 2024: Netherlands beats Turkiye; to meet England in the semifinals
The Hindu
Netherlands beats Turkiye 2-1 to reach Euro semifinals; Dutch fight back with Weghorst's impact.
The Netherlands dug deep to come from behind and beat Turkiye 2-1 on July 6 and book its place in the European Championship semifinals.
An own goal from Mert Muldur in the 76th minute, only six after Stefan De Vrij canceled Samet Akaydin's first-half header for Turkey, was enough for the Dutch in the last of the quarterfinals.
“It was really a battle today,” De Vrij said. “The Turkish team they have a big heart, a lot of quality. In the end we did well and we deserved the win.”
The Netherlands turned the game around after after 1.97-meter-tall (6-foot-5) striker Wout Weghorst made his entrance for the second half.
“He's always fighting up front, helping the team. And we started to keep the ball, create chances," De Vrij said. "Then we scored two goals and the whole team fought until the end."
The Netherlands will face England in the second semifinal in Dortmund on Wednesday. Spain faces France in the first on Tuesday.
“The players showed tonight a big heart,” Dutch coach Ronald Koeman said. “We had to suffer but finally it's a great success.” Turkey was without defender Merih Demiral, who was suspended for two matches by UEFA for making a nationalistic hand gesture after scoring in Tuesday's 2-1 win over Austria. The gesture is used by Turkish nationalists and associated with an ultra-nationalist group.