Berlin: The scoresheet may not reflect it but the key to the Netherlands' progress to the Euro 2024 semi-finals was target man Wout Weghorst. The Dutch came from behind to beat Turkiye 2-1 in Berlin on Saturday in a tense quarter-final, with the balance tipped in their favour by the burly Burnley striker's appearance from the bench. With Turkiye comfortably sitting 1-0 up at half-time fervently backed by raucous support at the Olympiastadion, Ronald Koeman rolled the dice and called for his wildcard option.
Weghorst burst into football's global consciousness with a stunning brace as a substitute against Argentina in the 2022 World Cup quarter-final and is still devastating in that role. The 31-year-old six-foot-six striker rescued the Netherlands a 2-1 win over Poland in their Euros opener with a well-taken goal off the bench. Koeman restricted Weghorst to 44 minutes across the Netherlands' opening four matches but gave him a full 45 against Turkiye and it paid dividends, as the team booked a semi-final date with England.
Instantly the Dutch had a target to aim for in the box, with Memphis Depay's drifting denying them a focal point until Weghorst's appearance. "Because of (Weghorst) you create a little bit more chaos in the box and they have to defend more, so I think Wout helped a lot," said Dutch defender Nathan Ake. "He's a nightmare to play against.
He is strong, is a nuisance in a box and he fights for everything. He runs off everything. So for us he is a great asset.
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