Memphis Depay and Denzel Dumfries scored the goals as the Netherlands beat Austria 2-0. The Dutch qualified for the round of 16, where they were joined by Belgium, who beat Denmark earlier.
The Dutch camp held their nerves this time around, as they beat Austria by two goals to nil to secure passage to the knockout stage. Frank De Boer’s men had squandered a two-goal lead against Ukraine five days ago but kept their heads against Austria to register a routine win. They joined Italy and Belgium in the round-of-16, the latter qualifying earlier thanks to a come-from-behind win over Denmark.
The Netherlands were awarded a penalty in the early stages of the match after Austria captain David Alaba was adjudged to have brought down Denzel Dumfries right on the edge of the penalty box. Memphis Depay stepped up to the spot and scored his first goal of the 2020 European Championships.
Despite the goal, Austria controlled much of the proceedings against the Dutchmen. They recorded more possession than De Boer’s men, although that rarely translated into clear-cut opportunities. The Netherlands, on the other hand, made the most of their opportunities. Dumfries doubled their lead in the 67th minute after substitute Donyell Malen squared the ball to him with just the goalkeeper to beat. The right wing-back’s second goal of the tournament makes him the current joint top-scorer.
Earlier in the day, Belgium travelled to Copenhagen to play an emotionally charged Denmark following the previous week’s events. Yussuf Poulsen gave the home side the lead within 99 seconds, pouncing on an error by defender Jason Denayer. Denmark then went close on several occasions in the first half but were unable to double their lead.
The game turned around after the introduction of Kevin De Bruyne in the second half. De Bruyne assisted Thorgan Hazard for the equalizer before firing home the winner from range in the 70th minute. Despite registering six shots to Denmark’s 21, the world number 1 team came out on top and secured qualification to the next round.
