Pierre van Hooijdonk thinks that Cody Gakpo made the difference against Turkey (2-1 win). The analyst of the NOS praises the left winger of the Dutch national team in particular for his second half against the Turks.

“Gakpo was the one who really created chances in the second half,” said Van Hooijdonk. “He really got past them a few times, and then something really happened.”

The Netherlands turned a deficit around in the second half with a header from Stefan de Vrij and an own goal from Mert Müldür. “We showed a lot of character, fought hard and won,” Gakpo himself said in front of the camera of the NOS.

Gakpo felt after the equalizer that the Netherlands would win. “A great cross from Mem, a great header from Steef, then you know it's coming.” Gakpo himself was involved in the 2-1, which was eventually awarded as an own goal. “I haven't seen it back yet, but it was a good cross from Denzel (Dumfries, ed.). I think he hooked me, so he tapped the ball in himself or something. We won, so it doesn't matter who gets the goal.”

Wout Weghorst had an excellent substitution. “Wout brings what Wout always brings. A lot of energy, passion, fight. Wout is very important in that and we all know that. That gives us that extra percent, even though we want to do it without Wout, but he gives us that extra percent.”

Weghorst played the entire second half. “He is dangerous with his head in the box. We played a bit more opportunistically, with more crosses and then you feel that they also walk more backwards. There was more space for us to make actions. It felt good in the second half.”

It was a nail-biter for the Dutch team at the end. “A lot happened in those last minutes. We were very defensive at the end. They also played all or nothing… Bart had a few sick saves, and Virg (il van Dijk, ed.), Micky (van de Ven, ed.), actually the entire back line played goalkeeper, haha.”

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