Scoring a goal and an assist in the Netherlands’ 

3-0 victory over Romania, Cody Gakpo set more milestones in his country’s football history as well as his personal career.

Cody Gakpo had a memorable performance in the Dutch team’s 3-0 victory over Romania in the round of 16 of Euro 2024. With a goal and an assist in this match, Gakpo not only helped the home team advanced to the quarterfinals, but also set many memorable milestones in his personal career and Dutch football history.

Gakpo proved his ability with an impressive goal. He overcame two Romanian defenders with skillful technique before launching a powerful shot, not giving goalkeeper Florian Nita a chance to save. This is Gakpo’s third goal at this year’s tournament, after scoring in the 3-2 loss to Austria and the opening goal against Poland in the group stage.

This achievement puts him in the group of Dutch legends who have scored three goals in one Euro, along with famous names such as Marco van Basten, Dennis Bergkamp, ​​Patrick Kluivert, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Georginio Wijnaldum.

Not stopping at scoring goals, Gakpo also showed off his excellent creating ability. In the 83rd minute of the match, he made a delicate pass for Donyell Malen to easily score to increase the score to 2-0 for the Netherlands.

With 3 goals and 1 assist in 4 matches, Gakpo has risen to the top of the Euro 2024 top scorer list. He is equal to Germany’s Jamal Musiala in terms of goals, but with an additional assist. Created, Gakpo has an advantage in the race to win the tournament’s Golden Boot.

Cody Gakpo scored, going into Dutch football history 491733

Liverpool players played aggressively with many consecutive attacks that threatened the Romanian goal. Photo: Getty Images.

This is a remarkable achievement, especially when compared to other players such as Slovakia’s Ivan Schranz and Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze – players who also scored three goals but were eliminated from the tournament with their team.

Gakpo’s performance against Romania is even more impressive when looking at detailed statistics. In 84 minutes on the field, he had 29 touches, 17 accurate passes (59%), created 2 big opportunities and 3 shots on target. His xG (Expected Goals) index is 0.29 and xA (Expected Assists) index is 0.89, showing high efficiency in attacking phases. Gakpo also showed excellent dribbling skills with two successful dribbles on both occasions.

Gakpo’s outstanding performance was recognized by experts and fans. He was scored 9.2 by SofaScore – the highest in the match. Not stopping there, the 25-year-old striker was also voted Best Player of the match – a worthy title for the efforts and talent he showed.

Cody Gakpo has officially risen to the top of the Euro 2024 top scorer list with 3 goals and 1 assist after 4 matches. Photo: Getty Images.

Gakpo’s impressive performance at Euro 2024 is not only a continuation of his success at the World Cup (where he scored 3 goals) but also a testament to his maturity in the national team. He is gradually affirming his position as one of the important pillars in the Dutch attack, while also becoming a source of inspiration for other young players in the team.

With the victory over Romania, the Netherlands has advanced to the quarterfinals of Euro 2024 and will face the winner of the match between Austria and Türkiye. In the upcoming journey, Gakpo will certainly continue to play an important role in the Dutch team’s strategy. Not only that, his impressive performance in this tournament also promises to bring many positive things to his club career at Liverpool next season.