Netherlands 4-2 Denmark UEFA Women's Euro 2017 final: match report
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Netherlands 4-2 Denmark: match report
A brace from Vivianne Miedema led hosts Netherlands to a 4-2 win over Denmark and their first women's Euro title in Enschede on Sunday.
Miedema pulled the hosts level at 1-1 on ten minutes and added her second goal two minutes from the end to round off the scoring, with Lieke Martens and skipper Sherida Spitse also scoring for the champions.
Denmark took the lead as Nadia Nadim scored from the penalty spot on six minutes after Kika van Es had brought down Sanne Troelsgaard in the box.
Miedema then fired home a superb cross from right winger Shanice van de Sanden who had outsprinted Cecilie Sandvej on the wing.
Martens turned with the ball just outside the box in the 28th minute and her low left-footer beat diving Danish keeper Stina Petersen at her left post.
The valiant Danes equalised on 33 minutes when skipper Pernille Harder picked up a long pass on the right wing, took it inside the box and wrong-footed Dutch keeper Sari van Veenendaal, scoring with a low left-foot shot to her left post.
All square at the break
Spitse then scored five minutes after the break with a low shot from a free-kick and Miedema made it 4-2 after fooling a defender inside the box and beating Petersen with a low shot in the 89th minute.
The Dutch are only the fourth team to lift the trophy after eight-time champions Germany, two-time winners Norway and Sweden, who won the first edition in 1984.
Denmark, like the Dutch playing in their first final, made two changes in their starting line-up as Sofie Junge Pedersen replaced midfielder Line Jensen, out with a torn knee ligament, while Sandvej came in for left-back Line Roddik.
Propelled by a sold-out Twente stadium in Enschede, the Dutch dominated the early minutes of a very lively first half, but Denmark's first goal levelled the situation on the pitch.
Martens could have extended her scoring record after 15 minutes, when van de Sanden's low cross found her inside the box, but Petersen had little trouble clearing her weak shot.
Nadim had two good chances to add to her opener, but her one-on-one with Van Veenendaal ended in the hands of the Dutch keeper and then she missed a cross.
In the second half, Van Es sent a long-range shot wide, Petersen superbly stopped Miedema's blast from longange and Jackie Groenen narrowly missed from long range.
At the other end, Katrine Veje's attempt from inside the box missed the Dutch goal, just like a rebound from a corner by substitute Frederikke Thogersen.
Troelsgaard missed the top corner by an inch five minutes from the end as the Danes pushed for an equaliser.
Netherlands vs Denmark Euro 2017 final: As it happened
Netherlands vs Denmark live stream online: match preview
This evening brings a first final appearance for both sides in the UEFA European Women's Championship, although Denmark were winners of a previous guise of the tournament back in 1979.
And with Germany lifting the trophy in the last six editions of the Euros, we are about to witness the first time any other country has taken the continental spoils since 1993.
Netherlands
The hosts sealed their final place by seeing off England 3-0 in the semi-finals on Thursday, having topped Group A with maximum points and defeated Sweden in the last eight.
Their triumph over the Lionesses - clinched courtesy of strikes by Vivianne Miedema and Danielle van de Donk, and a Millie Bright own goal - saw the underdogs oust the tournament favourites.
And after taking that impressive scalp, Sarina Wiegman's charges are now being heavily tipped by the bookmakers to make home advantage count and claim a first European title.
What's more, they already have experience of beating Denmark at this year's finals, having downed Nils Nielsen's team 1-0 in the group stage thanks to Sherida Spitse's penalty.
"Since the first game against Denmark both teams have improved," said Dutch coach Wiegman ahead of the final. "We have kept on following Denmark and we have little things in our strategy prepared.
"We did wonder how big the tournament would be. We knew it would depend on how we performed, but we could hardly have dreamed it would be this big."
Denmark
Denmark made it to the final with victory on penalties over Austria in the first semi, coming through 3-0 in the shoot-out after the last-four match had ended scoreless.
Prior to that, it was the Danes who were responsible for putting Germany to the sword in the quarter-finals, after being paired with the seven-time European champions as Group A runners-up.
Speaking in his pre-final press conference on Saturday, Danish boss Nielsen looked to the big screen for inspiration as he discussed his side's group-stage reverse to the Dutch.
"If you think about it, in the Rocky movies, in the first movie Apollo Creed was surprised when Rocky fought back," Nielsen said. "Like we did in the second half [against the Netherlands].
"And it is going to be like in the second Rocky movie: this time Rocky is going to win."
Netherlands vs Denmark live stream online: potential line-ups
Netherlands XI: Van Veenendaal; Van Lunteren, Dekker, Van der Gragt, Van Es; Spitse, Van de Donke, Groenen; Martens, Miedema, Van de Sanden,
Head coach: Sarina Wiegman
Denmark XI: Petersen; Nielsen, Boye Sorensen, Larsen, Roddik; Troelsgaard, Kildemoes, Jensen, Veje; Harder, Nadim.
Head coach: Nils Nielsen
Netherlands vs Denmark: Euro 2017 live stream online final betting
The Netherlands are the bookies' favourites to secure the trophy in Enschede, with the hosts priced at 8/11 at the time of writing to beat off the challenge of the Danes, who are valued back at 4/1.