Wout a difference: Super-sub inspires Dutch comeback

BERLIN — It wasn't Dutch courage that was needed to help the Netherlands overcome a rampant Turkiye in Berlin on Saturday. It was 1.97-meter-tall forward Wout Weghorst.

A goal down at half-time in the second European Championship quarterfinal of the day, the Netherlands turned to Weghorst to dig it out of a hole.

He provided the key to unlocking the stubborn Turkish defense as his runs and height gave the frustrated Dutch attack a new outlet.

Weghorst went close to scoring himself, hitting the side netting, before Stefan De Vrij equalized in the 70th minute. Six minutes later, Cody Gakpo forced an own goal from Mert Muldur, sending the Dutch to Dortmund, where a semifinal against England awaits.

"Every attacking player in our squad has different qualities," Gakpo said. "But, in this game, I think when we wanted to play a little bit more opportunistic, you know, we brought on Wout because he's tall, he's good in the air, he fights for every ball that comes in the box."

The Netherlands' coach Ronald Koeman sent Weghorst on at the start of the second half with his team trailing 1-0 after a bullet of a header in the 35th minute from Samet Akaydin.

"We played some good crosses, and then you saw the Turkish side dropping a little bit more, so we could play better. Maybe that was the key today. I'm, very happy that Wout could be Wout today," Gakpo said.

Gakpo was initially credited with his team's second goal, but UEFA later ruled it was a Muldur own goal. Both were trying to reach Denzel Dumfries' low, curling cross.

"It went in, so I'm OK with it. But if I touched it, I'm going to make a call," Gakpo joked. "No, it doesn't matter. It went in. I think that's the most important thing after this game. We fought really hard to make that comeback, and, yeah, we're very happy with that."

Netherlands defender Nathan Ake also lauded Weghorst's impact.

"He gave us a presence in the box," said Ake, who said Koeman had told the team at half-time to put more crosses into the penalty area, and faster than before.

"And that's what we did a few times. You get second balls and a little bit more of a scrimmage in the box, and I think, because of that, we created a little bit more chaos and they had to defend more. So, I think he helped a lot," Ake said of Weghorst's contribution.

"He's a nightmare to play against. You know? He's strong, he's a nuisance in the box and he fights for everything. He runs after everything. So, for us, he's a great asset," Ake said.

Weghorst spent last season on loan at Bundesliga team Hoffenheim, scoring seven goals in 28 league appearances. He previously had loan spells at Manchester United and at Turkish team Besiktas, after joining Burnley from Wolfsburg in January 2022. He scored 70 goals in 144 games over three-and-a-half seasons for Wolfsburg.

Weghorst has played in all five matches for the Netherlands at Euro 2024, all as a substitute, but none longer than he played against Turkiye.

Koeman may be tempted to play the 31-year-old forward from the start against England in Dortmund on Wednesday.

'Big heart'

Koeman said his team proved it had "a big heart".

"I think, for the whole nation, it's something special. We're a small nation, and we're in the semis with England, France and Spain, and we're really proud," Koeman told reporters.

"We had to suffer tonight, but that's the same across the whole Euros, they gave everything, it was a really emotional match.

"We had a big heart — sometimes we get criticism about that, that we don't have that compared to other nations, (but) the players showed a big heart tonight."

Turkiye fans dominated the crowd, given their large diaspora in Germany, but the Dutch survived the flares and piercing whistles to scrape through.

"We had to suffer — it's a great success to be able to play the semifinal," added Koeman.

"You saw tonight there are no small nations, you need to fight and play well, there are difficult moments in a game whoever your opponent is."

It is the first time the Netherlands has reached a Euro semifinal in 20 years, and it has fond memories of the last time the European Championship was held in Germany — the Netherlands' victory in the 1988 final remains its only major tournament success.

Koeman, a defender in that 1988-winning side, packed with brilliantly talented individuals such as Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten, said the strength of his team was its depth.

"England have good players, but we have too. We play in Dortmund, in one of the most beautiful stadiums, closer to the Netherlands, maybe that will also make a difference," said Koeman.

Agencies