Ben Fisher’s report has arrived so I’ll leave you with that. Thanks for your company and emails – goodnight.
Cody Gakpo’s verdict
It was a tough match against a well-organised opponent. We created a lot of good chances and we have to be more clinical, but overall I think we performed really well.
Next up: Slovenia v Denmark with the great Tim de Lisle.
Full time: Poland 1-2 Netherlands
The Netherlands start their campaign with a nervy but deserved win in Hamburg. Adam Buksa put Poland ahead with an early header before Cody Gakpo, the star of a terrific first-half performance from the Netherlands, equalised with a deflected shot. The Netherlands missed a number of chances, particularly in that first half, and were grateful for an emphatic late winner from the substitute Wout Weghorst.
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90+5 min A rising drive from Zalewski, 25 yards out, is palmed away by Verbruggen, a comfortable enough save. That’s the last action of the game.
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90+2 min A powerful long-range shot from Moder, who has played really well since coming on at half-time, is well held to his left by Verbruggen.
90 min Five minutes of added time.
89 min: Good save from Verbruggen! Saying which, Poland almost equalise. Piotrowski wriggles away from Reijnders in the area and cuts the ball back to Swiderski, who screws a shot that is pushed away by the diving Verbruggen. Piotrowski puts the rebound into the side netting from a very tight angle.
89 min Poland look shattered now, unable to throw any punches of their own. The Netherlands have passed them to sleep.
87 min: A substitution apiece Poland bring on Bartosz Bereszynski for Bartosz Salamon; Netherlands replace Nathan Ake with Micky van de Ven.
Weghorst has been ridiculed in this country, disgustingly so at times, but he rarely lets the Netherlands down. Ake’s pass into the area, intended for Wijnaldum I think, took a slight deflection and bounced towards Weghorst near the penalty spot. He ran off Salamon and drilled the ball past Szczesny with feeling. The movement and finish were exemplary.
WOUT WEGHORST!
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 16, 2024
He LOVES the big occasions! ⚽️#BBCEuros #Euro2024 #POLNED pic.twitter.com/E6EaRLJTvZ
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GOAL! Poland 1-2 Netherlands (Weghorst 83)
Wout Weghorst spanks the Dutch into the lead!
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82 min “With the third place thing meaning four points will likely be enough to get through, I don’t think there’s much motivation for the better teams in a group to try and beat each other,” says Edan Tal. “They know a draw here and beating one weaker side will be enough so they don’t gamble on attacking more.”
I suppose it depends on the context – for example Croatia play Italy last and may need a win – but broadly I think that’s a fair point. The format isn’t ideal. But then nor is having 16 or 32 teams.
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81 min: Netherlands substitution Jeremie Frimpong and Wout Weghorst come on for Cody Gakpo, who has faded in the second half, and Memphis Depay.
77 min: Poland substitution Jakub Piotrowski replaces Piotr Zielinski, who it turns out is fatigable. He ran his recycled polyester socks off and created the Poland goal.
76 min At this stage Netherlands look the likelier winners, though it has been a game of sudden moodswings so I’m not really sure that this entry has any merit whatsoever.
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73 min: Chance for Netherlands Malen, who has taken the game by the scruff since coming on, wins a corner off Zalewski. Depay’s outswinger is headed over by de Vrij, unmarked 10 yards out. That’s another pretty decent chance.
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71 min Dumfries’ deep cross is headed down by Gakpo and away by Salamon. Malen and Dumfries are combining well on the Netherlands right.
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70 min: Good save by Szczesny! Malen feeds the ball into Depay in the area. He has a defender at his back so pushes it towards the onrushing Dumfries, whose low cross is kicked away by the sliding Szczesny.
68 min The Dutch are starting to have more of the ball, although Poland’s defenders seem to have found a second wind.
66 min “Yeah, that’s a good Hislop save (half-time entertainment),” says Mac Millings, “but if it happened now no one would remember it because of the VAR penalty for the foul on Ian Rush.”
I bet you’re fun at orgies.
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65 min Netherlands work the ball across the face of the penalty area, with Malen teeing up Dumfries to his right. His cross shot takes a deflection and flies just wide of the far post.
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63 min Poland are having their best spell of the match, by a distance too, and Ronald Koeman is starting to look a bit anxious. A defeat for either team isn’t the end of the world, but it’s not ideal when you also have to play France.
63 min “While Poland is known only for Lewandowski to most of the outside world,” writes Krishnamoorthy V, “Zalewski is such a precocious talent.”
62 min: Netherlands substitution Gini Wijnaldum and Donyell Malen replace Joey Veerman and Xavi Simons.
61 min The indefatigable Zielinski breaks into the area to win a corner for Poland, who are having a really good spell. Moments later Ake makes a vital interception to deny Buksa, who pulled away from Van Dijk and chested own Moder’s pass. He was in the process of turning to shoot when Ake came across to clear the danger.
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58 min: Good save by Verbruggen! Zalewski runs Simons and hits a very deep cross to Kiwior. His deflected shot is well saved by Verbruggen, plunging to his left, and Zielinski’s long-range follow-up is too close to the keeper.
57 min Zalewski gallops thrillingly away from Veerman on the left, then buys a free-kick from Dumfries. The Poland defence will be glad of the breather, although Zielinski’s free-kick is poor.
57 min Poland, who have spent a lot of time watching and chasing the ball, are starting to look tired. It’s no surprise their manager has already made three substitutions.
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56 min “According to Wikipedia (so you know it’s true), ‘Memphis Underground’ was Hunter S. Thompson’s favourite album,” says Joe Pearson. “So there’s that. Admittedly, it is a pretty good upbeat funky jazz album.”
Nice.
55 min: Poland substitutions Bartosz Slisz and Karol Swiderski replace Taras Romanczuk and Kacper Urbanski.
54 min: Chance for Simons! And another one goes by. Netherlands break beautifully, with Depay and Reijnders combining to release Depay. He moves to the edge of the area and plays an angled pass to Simons, who slices a first-time shot wide of the near post. Hit the target!
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53 min Moder’s elbow catches Simons in the neck, so there’s a break in play while he receives treatment and waits for the pain to subside.
52 min Reijnders has made some excellent runs from midfield, combining nicely with Gakpo in particular. They’re not top class but I do like this Dutch attacking unit.
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50 min “While I agree with Niall Mullen that Poland have disappointed over the last few decades, I feel pretty confident that one day they’ll have a great team,” says Kári Tulinius. “After all, Spain were perennial disappointments until 2008, and then they very much came good.”
While I admire your optimistic outlook, I’m not totally sure about drawing conclusions from a sample size of one.
48 min Reijnders’ 20-yard stinger is blocked by Kiwior, then Depay shoots wide from 30 yards. The Netherlands have made a really fast start to the second half.
46 min An early opening for the Netherlands. A deep, inswinging cross from Gakpo (I think) is headed back into the six-yard box by Dumfries and clawed away desperately by Szczesny.
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46 min Poland begin the second half having made a half-time substitution: Brighton’s Jakub Moder is on for Sebastian Szymanski.
“I don’t think it’s news anymore that female commentators are good (well, except to some),” says Charles Antaki, “but a shout-out to Robyn Cowen on the BBC; measured, enthusiastic without being boosterish, gives plenty of space just to watch, with a default setting of pleased appreciation at what’s in front of her. Also low on the swotted-up stuff, which others are addicted to. More please.”
That’s a good point – she has a relaxed confidence that is even more impressive given the everyday prejudice that still exists.
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“There is a lovely track by Herbie Mann called Memphis Underground,” says Krishnamoorthy V. “He must have seen into the future to this game in particular.”
He’s such a frustrating player. When he’s good, he’s very, very good, but when he’s bad…
Half-time entertainment
Look at this save from Shaka Hislop.
Half-time reading
Half time: Poland 1-1 Netherlands
All square in Hamburg, but the Netherlands really should be ahead. They’ve played some lovely stuff and had a number of opportunities either side of Cody Gakpo’s equaliser. Adam Buksa had put Poland ahead with a good header from a corner.
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45+1 min: Chance for Depay! Ake drives a superb long pass to Depay on the edge of the area. He pulls away from the defender, controls the ball on the chest and drags a shot just wide of the far post.
45 min Incidentally I don’t think Reijnders was booked for dissent in the 15th minute. The referee was waving the yellow card willy nilly but the official Uefa site says Veerman was the only player who was booked.
42 min: Great chance for Gakpo! What a beautiful goal that would have been. The Netherlands probed for ages, right to left to right and back out to the left again. Eventually Simons played in the underlapping Ake, whose precise low cross was stabbed over the bar from eight yards by Gakpo. He should have scored.
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41 min Poland have grown into the game and are playing better since the Dutch equaliser than when they were 1-0 ahead. It’s been a really enjoyable first half
39 min “Dumfries was indeed brilliant, but two years ago,” says Andrew Hurley. “Two years ago I was handsome and meeting all manner of beautiful women. Things change!”
Arf. It’s the Pickford Principle, isn’t it? Southgate persisted with him because he’d always played well for England, even when Nick Pope/Aaron Ramsdale/whoever was in better form at club level.
37 min After a nice one-touch move, Dumfries’ low cross is cut out at the near post by Salamon.
36 min This is Poland’s best spell of the game. There are one or two signs of frustrations from the Netherlands, particularly Gakpo, who has had words with the referee on a couple of occasions.
33 min Replays show that Kiwior’s shot also took a slight deflection off Dumfries, which makes it a slightly better save from Verbruggen.
32 min A cross from the left is headed out but not away by Van Dijk. Kiwior chests the ball down and cracks a left-footed shot that is well saved by Verbruggen, getting down smartly to his left.
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31 min The Netherlands have played some really smooth, stylish football. Tougher tests to come, I realise.
Gakpo’s shot took a crucial deflection, but you can’t begrudge the Dutch their equaliser. He received Ake’s pass 35 yards out, just left of centre, and ran straight at the heart of a flagging Polish defence. He got to the edge of the D and drove an impatient low shot that hit a defender, Salamon possibly, and wrongfooted Szczesny.
You need a bit of luck sometimes...
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 16, 2024
Cody Gakpo in the right place at the right time for the Netherlands. #BBCEuros #Euro2024 #POLNED pic.twitter.com/WFHZtaq914
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GOAL! Poland 1-1 Netherlands (Gakpo 29)
Cody Gakpo gets a deserved equaliser for the Dutch!
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29 min We’ve just seen a replay of Zielinski’s block in the 25th minute, without which Depay would probably have had an open goal. It was superb defending.
28 min “You want disappointment?” says Simon McMahon. “I’ll give you disappointment. I’ll see Niall Mullen’s Poland, and raise him a Scotland. Friday night, opening game of the tournament, we’re gonna do it this time, blah blah blah etc etc. 2-0 down after twenty minutes. Ok, let’s regroup at half time, score next. Nope, let’s get a man sent off instead and concede again just before half time. In the end, relieved it was only 5-1. But the cricket will be different, right? No scars, nothing to lose. Fearless. Set alarm for 4am Sunday morning, see how it’s going. Oh. A ten wicket defeat inside ten overs would have felt better. On Father’s Day too. I haven’t felt this bad since Juan Cayasso scored for Costa Rica against Scotland in 1990.”
Hang on, wasn’t that the day you met Mrs McMahon?
27 min Gakpo’s flat cross is slightly behind Dumfries, who can only head it back across the area. Reijnders gets to it first and his header from a tight angle is well blocked by Bednarek.
27 min As it stands, the Netherlands are battering Poland 0-1.
26 min “Van Dijk is hilarious, always shouting after conceding a goal yet his ego never allows him to ask was it perhaps his fault,” says Andrew Hurley. “Why is Frimpong, one of the best players in his position in Europe last season, on the bench? He’s the only Netherlands player one could claim that about...”
Wasn’t Dumfries brilliant at the last World Cup? I assume that’s the reason, although – who knew – I’m no expert.
25 min Reijnders takes Gakpo’s pass in his stride, surges into the area and slides a low pass that is crucially blocked the sliding Zielinski. It feels like an equaliser is coming.
23 min Depay’s cross-shot, neither one nor t’other, flashes across the face of goal. The Netherlands have played some really slick football, only to lose composure in the penalty area.
22 min: Great chance for Depay! The Dutch really should be level. Simons slips as he controls the ball on the edge of the area but it bounces perfectly for Depay, who leathers it over the bar.
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20 min: Good save by Szcezesny! Schouten’s outswinging corner is met sweetly on the volley by Van Dijk, 15 yards out. The ball kicks up off the pitch and is pushed away to his left by Szczesny.
18 min “Depay,” says Niall Mullen, “looks like a lad who went to jail aged 17 for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and has come out a decade later with 50 kg more muscle, 100 new tattoos, and a 1000-yard stare that his sweetheart just can’t recognise.”
What have I told you about wasting your weekends watching Prison Break?
17 min ROBERT WHO.
First corner!
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 16, 2024
First goal!
Adam Buksa with a glancing header gives Poland the lead.#BBCEuros #Euro2024 #POLNED pic.twitter.com/yFUlLrLMh3
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It came from a corner on the left, swung in at pace by Zielinski. Buksa ran towards the near post, got up early between two defenders and flicked a fine header across Verbruggen.
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GOAL! Poland 1-0 Netherlands (Buksa 16)
A goal against the run of play!
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15 min A bemused Veerman is booked for a foul on Szymanski, as is a bemused Reijnders for dissent.
14 min Depay, who has the full swagger on, drags the ball stylishly away from Szymanski on the halfway line. The ball is moved across the field to Simons, who drives well wide from 25 yards.
13 min Poland have their first extended spell of possession, which ends with Szymanski’s shot from the edge of the area being blocked. It wouldn’t have counted because of an offside in the build up.
10 min At the other end Buksa has a hopeful shot blocked by Van Dijk.
9 min: Chance for Netherlands! They’re plying some terrific stuff here. Schouten, on the right side of the area, drags a careful low pass to the onrushing Reijnders. He takes the shot first time from the edge of the area but sidefoots wide of the post. At first it looked like a bad miss, but there may have been a deflection.
9 min Gakpo runs Frankowski to win a corner for the Netherlands. Veerman’s inswinger is headed away by Salamon.
8 min The Polish centre-back Salamon tries to score from inside his own half. It’s not his brightest idea.
6 min The Dutch are all over Poland, and their fans are making a cracking noise as well. The front three of Gakpo, Depay and Simons look sharp.
4 min Gakpo has started very brightly on the left. He cuts inside, plays a give and go with Depay but then miscontrols the ball in the area. A softer first touch would have given him a shooting chance.
2 min Gakpo collects the ball on the left side of the area, cuts onto his right foot and drives a low shot that is pushed round the near post by Szczesny. Decent save.
2 min “Total Footie is only part of the story,” says Jeremy Boyce. “They have also provided some sublime moments on the biggest stages (as well as an unerring ability to foot-shoot themselves) : Cruyff’s turn, van Basten’s volley (and his hat-trick v England), van Persie’s flying header, Bergkamp’s genius trap and shoot v Argentina...”
And, as David Lacey reminded us after a particularly brutal game, they also invented the clog.
1 min Peep peep! Poland kick off from left to right as we watch.
The Dutch are wearing their blue change strip due to a clash between their usual orange and Poland’s white kit. White the eff.
“Afternoon Rob,” says Niall Mullen. There’s an argument to say that, in Europe at least, this game is a battle between a country that has the biggest impact on world football relative to its size and one that has really underperformed despite being a populous, football mad nation. Perhaps it’s just because I’m old enough to remember 1982 (and Zbigniew Boniek) but the Poland team are a consistent source of disappointment.”
The Alton Towers of world football.
A reminder of the teams
Poland (possible 3-4-2-1) Szczesny; Salamon, Bednarek, Kiwior; Frankowski, Zielinski, Romanczuk, Zalewski; Urbanski, S Szymanski; Buksa.
Substitutes: Skorupski, Bulka, Dawidowicz, Walukiewicz, Piotrowski, Swiderski, Moder, Lewandowski, Grosicki, Puchacz, D Szymanski, Bereszynski, Slisz, Skoras.
Netherlands (possible 4-2-3-1) Verbruggen; Dumfries, De Vrij, Van Dijk, Ake; Schouten, Veerman; Simons, Reijnders, Gakpo; Depay.
Substitutes: Bijlow, Flekken, Geertruida, De Ligt, Wijnaldum, Weghorst, Frimpong, Van de Ven, Blind, Malen, Maatsen, Zirkzee, Bergwijn, Gravenberch.
Referee Artur Soares Dias (Portugal).
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Here come the players, all with their gamefaces carefully applied. The format - 16 of the 24 teams qualify for the knockout stages – takes a bit of pressure off the first game, but you’d still rather hit the tournament running. Obviously.
The Dutch XI includes players from Liverpool, PSV Eindhoven, Brighton, Manchester City, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain – but not from Ajax, who had such a desperate domestic season. The only Ajax players in the squad, Brian Brobbey and Steven Bergwijn, are on the bench.
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Poland and the Netherlands have never played each other at a major tournament, although they have had plenty of meetings in qualification or the Nations League. Poland haven’t beaten the Netherlands since a Euros qualifier in May 1979.
The Dutch coach Ronald Koeman has happy memories of Hamburg, having been part of the Dutch team that beat West Germany in the semi-final of Euro 88. Here he is celebrating that victory in traditional style.
After the Netherlands' win in the semi-finals of the 1988 Euros against the Germans, Ronald KOEMAN went on to pretend to wipe his ass with the jersey of German footballer Olaf Thon in front of the German crowd #Class pic.twitter.com/ikc2SWSj7v
— Old School Panini (@OldSchoolPanini) September 5, 2019
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Fifty years!
Team news: Lewandowski out
Poland captain Robert Lewandowski misses the game with a muscle injury. Technically he’s among the substitutes but I don’t think he has any chance of getting on. The exciting teenager Kacper Urbanski starts in an attacking line-up.
Ronald Koeman has chosen Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen in goal ahead of Brentford’s Mark Flekken, while Inter’s Stefan de Vrij is preferred to some more celebrated central defenders.
Poland (possible 3-4-2-1) Szczesny; Salamon, Bednarek, Kiwior; Frankowski, Zielinski, Romanczuk, Zalewski; Urbanski, S Szymanski; Buksa.
Substitutes: Skorupski, Bulka, Dawidowicz, Walukiewicz, Piotrowski, Swiderski, Moder, Lewandowski, Grosicki, Puchacz, D Szymanski, Bereszynski, Slisz, Skoras.
Netherlands (possible 4-2-3-1) Verbruggen; Dumfries, De Vrij, Van Dijk, Ake; Schouten, Veerman; Simons, Reijnders, Gakpo; Depay.
Substitutes: Bijlow, Flekken, Geertruida, De Ligt, Wijnaldum, Weghorst, Frimpong, Van de Ven, Blind, Malen, Maatsen, Zirkzee, Bergwijn, Gravenberch.
Referee Artur Soares Dias (Portugal).
Our first 𝐗𝐈 of @EURO2024! ❤️🔥
— OnsOranje (@OnsOranje) June 16, 2024
Let's #CreateHistory together! 🇳🇱#NothingLikeOranje #POLNED pic.twitter.com/0q9RK76vex
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Netherlands team guide
Ronald Koeman is aware his side must play better in Germany to go far. “We really know that we need to improve in a number of areas to compete with the other top countries,” he said after qualification was secured. “It is clear that football can and must be improved.”
Poland team guide
Supporters are not deluding themselves thinking that Poland will qualify from the “group of death” that also features France, the Netherlands and Austria. Expectations are very low but that has often worked well in the past with Polish players. Probierz has repeatedly said that this is no time for a revolution. He has a safety-first approach with a 3-5-2 system and it is not difficult to predict who will start the opener against the Dutch.
Ben Fisher’s preview
Man with axe shot by police
In the past hour there has been a major incident at the Reeperbahn, where Dutch fans were gathering before the game. A man was shot after threatening police with an axe and an “incendiary device”; he has been taken to hospital and the Reeperbahn has been closed to fans.
You can get the latest on our Euro 2024 news blog.
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Preamble
When a major tournament takes place in Germany, the Netherlands usually make an impression. They wowed the world with Total Football in 1974, won the European Championship in 1988 and participated lustily in the Battle of Nuremberg in 2006.
This year’s squad isn’t quite on a par with those three, and the Netherlands aren’t among the favourites to win Euro 2024. They still have plenty of quality, and a nice mix of experience and youth, but the absence of Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners through injury has left them light in midfield.
The Netherlands qualified fairly comfortably despite losing home and away to France. Poland went the distance, beating Wales on penalties after a goalless playoff in Cardiff. Apart from Euro 2016, when they were a penalty shootout away from reaching the semi-finals, Poland have tended to disappoint at recent tournaments. But they also have happy historical memories of Germany: they finished third in the 1974 World Cup.
Kick off 2pm.
