Final result: Poland-Holland 1-2
POLAND’S REPORT CARDS (edited by Luca Esposito)
Szczesny 6.5 – If Poland resists until the end, it is above all thanks to the saves of their goalkeeper. He transmits confidence from the first to the ninetieth, giving the sensation of reading the opponent’s actions in advance.
Bednarek 5 – Not a positive test for the Polish defender, in great difficulty in one-on-one situations against decidedly quicker attackers.
Salamon 5.5 – In the aerial game he is, at times, unbeatable. It is also appreciated for some advances in good style. He was the unlucky protagonist on the occasion of the momentary 1-1 goal, his deflection was enough to wrong-foot his own goalkeeper. And he isn’t positioned very well even when Wegorts enters the center of the area and scores 1-2.
Kiwior 5.5 – Twice he had to sacrifice himself to reject potentially dangerous shots aimed at the net. Too often, however, he gets caught from behind by his opponents’ insertions. Swinging.
Frankowski 6 – Very promising start, even in the presence of a strong player like Gakpo he still manages to accompany the offensive phase. In the second half he is less proactive and more concrete.
Zielinski 6 – Poland struggles to get out of their penalty area and the coach asks him to play almost as a point guard to take advantage of his technique. He provides the assist for the goal of the illusory advantage, he also sacrifices himself in the defensive phase.
Romanczuk 5 – Not a great match for the Polish midfielder, author of a great recovery in a slide on Depay and… that’s it. From 55′ Slisz 5 – He never enters the game.
Zalewski 6 – As often happens to him in our championship, he is appreciated when he attacks and a little less when he is called upon to defend. The duel with Dumfries was beautiful and intense, two players who know each other very well. In the end he came close to making it 2-2 with a nice shot from 20 metres.
Urbanski 5.5 – The sometimes defeatist play of his team does not enhance his characteristics, however he tries to sew up the game with some interesting openings. He goes off in the second half and is rightly replaced. From the 55th minute Swiderski 5.5 – It takes him a while to get into the game, after all it’s certainly not an easy task among physically strong centre-backs like the Netherlands. Yet he is the one who comes close to equalizing in the Cesarin area with a strike from the center of the area which is brilliantly defused by the opposing goalkeeper.
Buksa 6.5 – Great header from the attacker, preferred to Piatek and able to repay the coach’s trust thanks to a tiring and all-round dark job. Test passed.
Szymanski 5 – His plays were missed, it is no coincidence that he was the first player recalled to the bench. Too little for a player of his talent. From 45’st Molder 5.5 – Promising start, but does not accompany the offensive phase very well, contravening the assigned tasks.
Michal Probierz 6 – Lots of suffering at the start, yet Poland unlocks it with an inactive ball scheme. The reaction after the 1-1 draw and the approach in the second half bode well. Given the absences, he had the merit of still creating difficulties for the Netherlands.
HOLLAND’S REPORT CARDS (edited by Luca Esposito)
Verbruggen 7 – In doubt until the end, he responds presently and confirms that he is a highly reliable goalkeeper. Two great saves in the final allow the Orange to secure their first victory in the group.
Dumfries 6.5 – Statistics in hand he is one of the most dangerous men ever, in at least three circumstances he could clock out but Szczesny is on the day and tells him no. He constantly pushes in the lane of competence, excellent physical condition.
De Vrij 6 – For more than half an hour Poland are almost non-paying spectators, yet Holland goes down and no center back is exempt from responsibility. As the minutes pass, he regains the authority of his golden days and deserves a passing grade even without doing sensational things.
Van Dijk 6 – All his experience to drag his teammates towards a comeback, yet he too is not flawless in a couple of clearances that could have been costly. With a nice turn he puts the Polish goalkeeper’s reflexes to the test.
Ake 6.5 – He starts quietly, then he makes a couple of spectacular throws and takes courage. In the second half he is a real added offensive winger, a thorn in the side at times unstoppable.
Schouten 6 – Compared to Bologna’s times, his range of action has moved back a bit and he has to disengage more when not in possession. All in all it does its job well. He has excellent understanding with the offensive trio.
Reijnders 6 – Half a vote less because he is not concrete at the moment of conclusion, however he confirms that he has very interesting technical skills and makes the difference every time the opponent leaves him even just half a meter of space.
Veerman 5 – Not an unforgettable debut for the midfielder, conditioned by a warning and often imprecise when handling the ball. From 65′ Wijnaldum 5 – The only one among the replacements not to have an impact. He is practically never seen and, in the end, he suffers from the high pace imposed by Poland.
Xavi Simons 6 – He constantly proposes and dictates the transition to his teammates, with whom the understanding is growing. He has three chances to make it 1-1, but his aim isn’t the best and he has to postpone the appointment with the first goal of the European Championship until the next match. He comes out anyway to the applause of the audience. From the 65th minute Malen 6.5 – It’s clear from the start that he’s inspired when he stops a difficult ball and invents a dizzying cross for Dumfries. He actively participates in the 1-2 action.
Depay 6 – We could copy and paste the previous comment. Some excellent numbers, lots of technique and quality, but little concreteness and coldness in front of goal. In the 28th minute he missed a real moving penalty. From 80′ Weghorst.7 – He comes in and decides the match with an unstoppable shot from the center of the area. And, in recovery, he earns free kick after free kick thanks to his physicality and tactical intelligence.
Gakpo 7 – Starts the comeback with a shot that ends behind the goalkeeper also due to a deflection. Up until that moment he had been the absolute master of the right lane, with important plays and many one-on-one victories.
Ronald Koeman 7 – Victory, spot-on changes and a lot of quality in the plays. What more could you ask for?