Netherlands 2-1 Türkiye: Oranje stage comeback to set up England semi-final

Stefan de Vrij's equaliser and Mert Müldür's own goal six minutes later turned potential defeat into victory for the Netherlands as they edged past Türkiye in their UEFA EURO 2024 quarter-final in Berlin.

Match in brief: Netherlands make experience count

Samet Akaydin heads Türkiye in front in the first halfAFP via Getty Images

The excitement was palpable with each nation contesting their first EURO quarter-final for 16 years but Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman had demanded his players "keep the ball and take the sting out of the game" in the early stages. They came close to completely deflating the Türkiye bubble in the opening minute only for Memphis Depay to fire over a presentable chance.

The Crescent-Stars gradually grew into the contest, successfully restricting the space the possession-hungry Oranje craved and establishing the set-piece threat that had served them so well in their round of 16 victory against Austria. Their breakthrough came indirectly from such a dead-ball situation, Arda Güler whipping a half-cleared corner to the back post for Samet Akaydin to guide his header in off the bar.

Türkiye coach Vincenzo Montella had stressed the need for his young side to "control our emotions" and they appeared more composed than a visibly-perturbed Dutch outfit for the remainder of the first half. The interval gave Koeman a chance for an Oranje reset, and the introduction of Wout Weghorst up front suggested a more direct approach in the second period.

That renewed verve – and Weghost's influence on their style – soon became apparent but it was Türkiye who nearly doubled their advantage twice, first when Arda Güler's fierce free-kick clipped the outside of the post then when Weghorst somehow denied Kaan Ayhan a tap-in after Bart Verbruggen had parried Kenan Yıldız's raking drive.

Stefan de Vrij enjoys his equaliserUEFA via Getty Images

That intervention proved pivotal as Stefan de Vrij's thumping header from Depay's cross levelled the score and demonstrated the Oranje also possessed set-piece prowess. Six minutes later they had another, Denzel Dumfries's teasing ball across the area turned over the line by Mert Müldür, under pressure from Cody Gakpo at the far post.

Türkiye's late onslaught was expected and would have paid off but for a last-ditch block by substitute Micky van de Ven to keep out Zeki Çelik's goalbound effort and Verbruggen's added-time save from another replacement, Semih Kılıçsoy. Next stop for the Oranje: a semi-final with England in Dortmund on Wednesday.

Vivo Player of the Match: Stefan de Vrij (Netherlands)

"Solid in defending and scored a goal. Showed good initiative in the second half."
UEFA Technical Observer panel

Derek Brookman, Netherlands reporter

Just when it felt like time was running out, the Dutch moved up through the gears and produced the finishing that their build-up play had hitherto lacked. It was a different type of victory from the one against Romana – more grit and determination than fluidity and guile – but, as the old saying goes, they all count. A very spirited comeback and, ultimately, a deserved win.

Aydin Güvenir, Türkiye reporter

It was a dreamy, dramatic night for Türkiye. They defended and concentrated well until the 70th minute. They had the lead for 35 minutes and missed a chance when Arda Güler's free-kick, which could have put them in total control, struck the woodwork. But in the last 20 minutes, experience appeared to count against this young and passionate team. Netherlands' dominancy in the second half ended with two goals which were enough for them to reach semi-finals.

Reaction

Ronald Koeman, Netherlands coach: "For the whole nation, it's something special. We are a small nation and we're in the semi-finals with England, France and Spain and are really proud. We had to suffer tonight but there are no easy games. They put everything into it. It was an emotional match and we showed real heart. It was a good second half. We had to suffer but it's a great success to get the opportunity to play in a semi-final."

Nathan Aké, Netherlands defender: "In the first ten or 15 minutes, we found the spaces in midfield and we played really well. Then they started to change something, and they let us go outside instead of inside and it became a little bit more difficult to find the spaces. But in the second half when we put Weghorst up top, we put more balls in the area, earlier, and played for the second balls, and because of that we created more chances."

Vincenzo Montella, Türkiye coach: "We showed everything we had. We had a very good tournament. In terms of 90 minutes, we won as many matches as Netherlands. My colleagues and other football professionals have also congratulated us. We have many young players, they came out with amazing spiri and I'm proud of them. These players deserve the love they are receiving. After this tournament, Türkiye will be seen with more respect in the future."

Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Türkiye midfielder: "I would like to thank everyone who contributed. We had a great tournament. We are all very sad but hopefully more will come. Unfortunately, that's it. We've come this far. If we've made our nation experience this excitement, how happy we are. Losing happens in football. Our fans gave us a standing ovation at the end of the match, which is a good sign."

Ronald Koeman leads the Netherlands celebrationsGetty Images

Key stats

• Netherlands have reached their sixth EURO semi-final and first since 2004.
• The Oranje have progressed from six of their last eight quarter-finals at World Cups and EUROs.
• The Dutch have won two knockout ties in a single EURO for only the second time after 1988 – when they lifted the trophy.
• Netherlands have scored two or more goals in seven of their last nine EURO matches.
• De Vrij scored his first international goal since March 2015. His only previous major final tournament goal was against Spain at the 2014 World Cup.
• Mert Müldür's was the first own goal Netherlands have benefited from at the EUROs since 2004 (Jorge Andrade vs Portugal).
• Netherlands were losing at half-time for only the second time in their last ten EURO matches.
• Hakan Çalhanoğlu made his ninth EURO appearance, bringing him level with Türkiye's record holder Rüştü Reçber.

Line-ups

Netherlands: Verbruggen; Dumfries, De Vrij, Van Dijk, Aké (Van de Ven 73); Schouten, Simons (Zirkzee 87), Reijnders (Veerman 73); Bergwijn (Weghorst 46), Depay (Frimpong 87), Gakpo

Türkiye: Mert Günok; Mert Müldür (Zeki Çelik 82), Kaan Ayhan (Semih Kılıçsoy 89), Samet Akaydin (Cenk Tosun 82), Abdülkerim Bardakcı, Ferdi Kadıoğlu; Barış Alper Yılmaz, Salih Özcan (Okay Yokuşlu 77), Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Kenan Yıldız (Kerem Aktürkoğlu 77); Arda Güler