Romania 0-3 Netherlands: Cody Gakpo shines as Dutch seal quarter-final spot

Cody Gakpo scored one and assisted another as Netherlands beat Romania to reach the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.

The Liverpool forward saw a second goal, which would have taken him into the lead for the Golden Boot, chalked off for offside.

Donyell Malen soon after tucked home the Dutch’s second, after stunning work from Gakpo on the byline, and then a third in injury time after running from inside his own half.

Netherlands had faced criticism by their media and fans for a poor defensive display in their final group game, a 3-2 loss to Austria, but were more composed and in control as they reached the Euros quarter-finals for the first time since 2008.

They took the lead after 20 minutes when Gakpo drilled a low angled shot home at goalkeeper Florin Nita's near post before Malan's late double helped set up a quarter-final with Austria or Turkey, who play later on Tuesday, in Berlin on Saturday.

The Netherlands had two-thirds of possession and almost five times more chances in the game to underline their superiority as Virgil van Dijk struck the post with a header and Gakpo had a second effort ruled out for offside.

Additional reporting by Reuters.

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