In the heat of the Europa League battle in full swing, the Netherlands emerged from the third-placed group stage with a stunning comeback to return to the Europa League last eight after 16 years with a 3-0 win over Romania in the round of 16 in the early hours of Saturday night (3). Liverpool's striker, Gap, has become a goal machine for the Dutch national team, contributing a third of all goals in two consecutive international tournaments. In this campaign, he not only set a number of records, but also with Wimbledon, Bergin and other soccer legends.
The 25-year-old Gapp was not a standout performer in the Premier League, but upon his return to the Dutch national team, he immediately became a mainstay on the team's left flank. He utilized Lobin-esque flexible running, broke down the left bottom line late in the game, delivered accurate assists, and even scored two solo goals in the group stage. He is currently tied with his teammates at the top of the scoring charts with three goals, and was the youngest Dutch national team goal scorer in the knockout rounds in 1988 (at the age of 25 years and 56 days).
Gap, who scored three goals in five games at the World Cup two years ago, has already contributed four goals at this year's Euros, giving the Netherlands 17 goals over the two tournaments, of which Gap has scored a third alone. This is also the third Dutch player to score 3+ goals in two international tournaments after 1970s stars Johnnie Rees and Bergin. After the match, team leader Ronald Gauvin was full of praise: Gap once again proved himself to be the key to the team, his speed and power are unrivaled, and his technique is even more superb.
For the glory of Dutch soccer, Gap also expressed his intention to leave a deep memory for this generation: I don't have much memory of Euro 2004, but I remember the 2008 and 2012 matches vividly, and the 2014 World Cup performance was also outstanding. My teammates and I are like a family trying to make history that belongs to us. This moment is crucial for us. Holland announced their return to the world with strength.
