Weghorst Rescues Netherlands with Late Winner Against Poland in Euro 2024

Wout Weghorst emerged as the hero for the Netherlands, coming off the bench to secure a 2-1 victory over Poland in their Euro 2024 opening match at Volksparkstadion.

Poland stunned the Oranje by taking the lead against the run of play when Karol Buksa connected with Piotr Zielinski's inswinging corner from the left, directing a powerful header into the bottom-right corner.

However, the Dutch responded resiliently, equalizing through Cody Gakpo. His long-range effort took a deflection that wrong-footed goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, finding the back of the net to level the score.

Gakpo had a chance to double his tally shortly after but lifted his strike over the bar from Nathan Ake's cutback. Poland, eager to regain the lead, tested Dutch goalkeeper Tim Verbruggen through efforts from Kamil Kiwior and Zielinski, both of which required sharp saves.

Yet, it was Weghorst who sealed the victory for the Netherlands, striking just two minutes and 18 seconds after entering the field. The forward capitalized on Ake's pass, driving a low shot under Szczesny from inside the box to clinch the win.

Despite both teams generating an expected goals (xG) of 1.26, the decisive moment came from the Netherlands' only shot on target in the second half.

Poland will now turn their hopes to the return of Robert Lewandowski for their upcoming clash against Austria, while the Dutch face a daunting task against France in their next fixture.