Dumfries seals Dutch delight
BUT IMPROVEMENT NEEDED
Top of the group after a more comfortable night than a couch potato, Holland joined Italy and Belgium in the knockout phase. Everybody loves a major tournament where Holland separate the oranges from the lemons. But on the evidence of a performance that was nearer workmanlike than scintillating at the Johan Cruyff Arena, they are not going to frighten Europe’s big guns.
Although there was no shortage of entertainment, Holland’s opening five-goal thriller with Ukraine had left as many question marks about their defensive leaks as their sense of adventure.
Critics, including ITV pundit Roy Keane, says coach Frank De Boer’s 3-5-2 system has more holes than Leerdammer cheese, so we may have to enjoy them while we can.
But the Dutch day of reckoning was never going to be administered by a side as limited as Austria, especially with firebrand striker Marko Arnautovic suspended for his excessive goal celebration against North Macedonia.
And Holland were handed a dream start when David Alaba clipped Denzel Dumfries and Israeli referee Orel Grinfeld awarded a penalty after consulting his pitchside monitor.
Former Manchester United forward Memphis Depay made no mistake from the spot.
Ahead after 11 minutes, Holland settled with the swagger of a side who had won the past 21 games in which they scored first.
Depay, unmarked and teed up by Wout Weghorst, spooned wastefully and horribly over the top from six yards and skipper Gini Wijnaldum’s finish was halfhearted where more conviction would have doubled the lead before half-time. Apart from width, pace, movement, cutting edge and imagination, Austria brought a full deck of cards to the table.
David Alaba, who is leaving Bayern Munich to replace trophy-laden veteran Sergio Ramos at Real Madrid, remained deep and central where he had been influential and threatening down the left flank against North Macedonia. Yet Holland still made heavy weather of it.
Daniel Bachmann could do nothing to prevent Denzel Dumfries’ second goal in as many games giving Holland breathing space midway through the second half.
Substitute Donyell Malen sprang Austria’s ludicrously high defensive line and Dumfries could not miss from close range.
HOLLAND (3-5-2): Stekelenburg 6; De Ligt 7, De Vrij 7, Blind 7 (Ake, 64, 6); Dumfries 7, De Roon 6 (Gravenberch, 74); Wijnaldum 8, F De Jong 8, Van Aanholt 7 (Wijndal, 64, 6); Weghorst 6 (Malen, 64, 7), Depay 6 (L de Jong, 82). Goals: Depay 11 (pen), Dumfries 67.
AUSTRIA (4-3-3): Bachmann 7; Dragovic 6, Alaba 6, Hinteregger 6, Schlager 6; Lainer 6, Laimer 5 (Grillitsch, 62, 5), Sabitzer 6; Ulmer 6, Gregoritsch 5 (Kalajdzic, 62, 5), Baumgartner 5 (Lazaro, 70, 5).