Ronald Koeman knows the Dutch must be more clinical as Euro 2024 progresses | OneFootball

The Netherlands got off to a winning start in Euro 2024 thanks to a late goal from substitute Wout Weghorst. In truth, the game should have been well and truly over before then, with Poland coming under a lot of pressure from an Oranje that created a ton of chances. Ronald Koeman’s side ended the game with 66% of the ball and 21 shots, but only four were on target. Thankfully, two of these went in, but with France and Austria to come, the Dutch will want to be more clinical in future matches.

Koeman himself said that he felt it should have been 3-1 or even 4-1 just by halftime, as Cody Gakpo ran Poland ragged for most of the first half. The Liverpool man did get the equaliser with a deflected shot and was putting pressure on the Polish defence. At the other end, Koeman was disappointed that they conceded from a corner. The head coach said ‘You fall behind because of a bad defensive moment in a standard situation. That really needs to be improved’.

Yet with a strong following in Germany, the Netherlands opened a tough group with a win. This should stand them in good stead, with four points likely to be enough to qualify in third place at least. However, they will be hoping to finish in first or second.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson