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Euro 2020 | Netherlands beat Ukraine in five-goal thriller

The Netherlands have beaten Ukraine 3-2 in a thrilling Euro 2020 Group C match at Johan Cruyff Arena.

After a scoreless first half, Georginio Wijnaldum and Wout Weghorst found the net to give Frank de Boer's hosts a 2-0 lead.

Ukraine drew level after goals from Andriy Yarmolenko and Roman Yaremchuk, before Denzel Dumfries' late goal earned all three points for the Netherlands.

Incredibly, there were nine shots in the opening 10 minutes of this end-to-end match.

Memphis Depay forcing a save from Heorhiy Bushchan inside 90 seconds after pouncing on a loose ball and driving forward from his own half.

Bushchan then made a brilliant sprawling save to deny Dumfries from eight yards after Wijnaldum's clever pass picked out the PSV defender on the right side of the box in the fifth minute.

Netherlands captain Wijnaldum then swept a first-time effort over the bar in thew seventh minute after a rapid counter from de Boer's men.

Yarmolenko tested Netherlands goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg at the other end with tame effort from 20 yards.

Wijnaldum's powerful volley was parried by Buschan in the 38th minute, before Dumfries inexplicably missed the target with a back post header a moment later.

The unmarked PSV star had the goal at his mercy, but directed his downward header wide of the near post.

Stekelenburg denied Ukraine captain Yarmolenko from the tightest of angles just before half time, with both sides going in scoreless at the interval.

The Netherlands finally made a breakthrough in the 52nd minute, with former Liverpool midfielder Wijnaldum arriving in the box to apply a clinical left-footed finish into the roof of the net after Bushchan could only push a low cross out to the edge of the box.

Six minutes later, Weghorst made it 2-0 after Ukraine failed to clear their lines after Dumfries' hopeful dribble into the box.

The ball fell to Weghorst, whose bouncing right-footed strike evaded Bushchan, who should have done better after getting a foot to the shot.

Yarmolenko gave Ukraine a lifeline with a stunning strike in the 75th minute, cutting inside and curling a delightful effort into the top corner from 20 yards for Andriy Shevchenko's men.

Four minutes later, Yaremchuk met Ruslan Malinovsky's free kick with a powerful header from 12 yards.

The ball sailed into the top corner, leaving the Netherlands stunned with just over 10 minutes left on the clock.

Dumfries atoned for his earlier wastefulness in the 85th minute, steering a bouncing downward header past Bushchan from Nathan Ake's inviting cross.

The Netherlands held on for a hugely entertaining win ahead of their home meeting with Austria on Thursday. Ukraine, meanwhile, will take on North Macedonia in Bucharest on the same day.

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