Cody Gakpo leaves Tottenham star red in message to Arne Slot after Netherlands win over Romania

Cody Gakpo played like a man possessed to help the Netherlands reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 with an emphatic 3-0 win over Romania in Munich.

Liverpool’s red-hot forward was a constant threat all afternoon at the Allianz Arena as he tormented his blue-haired marker and Brighton target man Andrei Ratiu from the left flank, scoring and assisting for Ronald Koeman’s rejuvenated side.

Gakpo opened the scoring in the 20th minute, slipping behind Romanian right-back Ratiu and firing a shot into the near post. It was his third goal of the tournament, making him joint top scorer at Euro 2024 alongside Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze.

If Gakpo maintains this level of power, he will undoubtedly feel like a new signing for Liverpool this summer – and an upgrade on Luis Diaz – following the arrival of fellow Dutchman Arne Slot.

While he still had credible numbers, 16 goals and six assists, for the Reds in all competitions last season, he struggled for consistency due to frequent rotation of positions. But given these facts, there is no doubt that his best position is when he is flying inside from the left and unleashing shots at will.

Stefan de Vrij rattled Romania goalkeeper Florin Nita when he headed the ball into the side netting before Tottenham centre-back Radu Dragusin came to his nation’s rescue, blocking Denzel Dumfries’ pass to Memphis Depay.

The Netherlands were undeniably wasteful and could have gone unnoticed had they been more effective in the final third. Romanian substitute Bogdan Racovitan had fun deflecting the ball out of bounds, Dumfries stole it blindly and found Xavi Simons, who couldn’t adjust his feet in time to finish.

The Dumfries Athletic were a persistent thorn in the Romanian backline and the marauding Inter Milan full-back appeared to be pulled back at the far post by Ianis Hagi, however, German referee Felix Zwayer was not interested.

Gakpo led the Netherlands’ relentless quest for a decisive second goal after the break, firing a 25-yard shot that stung Nita’s palms before seeing his goal ruled out by VAR for offside. Yet the setback only spurred him on, as he combined admirably with midfielder Joey Veerman, who curled his shot narrowly wide of the goal as he sought a moment of redemption after his embarrassing 35th-minute withdrawal in the 3-2 defeat to Austria in Berlin.

Substitute Donyell Malen eventually doubled the Netherlands’ advantage when Gakpo refused to give up what appeared to be a lost cause, Romanian defensive stalwart Dragusin assumed the ball was going out of play but the Liverpool man rushed forward, heading towards his grateful team-mate to convert.

Malen then added some brilliance to the scoreline by collecting the ball from the left, dancing inside and striking with aplomb before celebrating questionably in front of the dejected Romanian fans. It was an impressive response from the Oranje, even if they did not need to step up a gear, after a miserable performance against Austria in Berlin. By now there should be internal confidence that they have the tools, the momentum and the ambition to at least reach the semi-finals.

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