Substitute Wout Weghorst struck a dramatic late winner for the Netherlands in a 2-1 victory over Poland as they started their Euro 2024 campaign with a win.
The striker, who enjoyed a strong 2022 World Cup, once again produced his best form on the big stage in Hamburg – just as Poland looked on course for a point despite injured striker Robert Lewandowski being unable to play.
The Barcelona forward's replacement Adam Buksa headed Poland in front after 16 minutes before Cody Gakpo levelled with a deflected shot from range at the Volksparkstadion.
The Netherlands, roared on by an army of orange-clad fans, failed to convert a series of good chances and Poland improved as the game seemed to be heading for a 1-1 draw in the Group D clash, before Weghorst intervened in the 83rd minute.
"I am very happy, this is indescribable, especially at a finals, so special, this is personally a dream scenario," said Weghorst.
"This is so important, to keep the good feeling going. This is just very nice for all of us. The ultimate goal is to win that cup together."
Gakpo added: "It was a tough match and a tough opponent. They scored first and it was a little more difficult, but we created a lot of good opportunities and we had to be more clinical – overall I think we performed pretty well.
"We have to analyse the game and see where we could hurt them more. Obviously, we are a team that never gives up."
Coach Ronald Koeman, in his second stint at the helm, won the tournament as a player with the Oranje in 1988, the nation's only major tournament success.
The Netherlands, who performed well two years ago at the Qatar World Cup after failing to reach Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup, came out of the blocks quickly.
Liverpool winger Gakpo took the creative reins alongside Memphis Depay and Xavi Simons, and tested Wojciech Szczesny with a low drive.
Midfielder Tijjani Reijnders steered a good chance wide before Michal Probierz's Poland took the lead against the run of play.
Antalyaspor striker Buksa planted a header beyond Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen from Piotr Zielinski's corner after 16 minutes.
Szczesny saved well from Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk and Depay flashed two efforts wide before Gakpo levelled.
The forward's effort from just outside the area deflected in off Bartosz Salamon, leaving Juventus goalkeeper Szczesny with no chance.
Gakpo almost put Netherlands ahead from close range after being teed up by Nathan Ake but his shot rose fractionally too high.
Sporting a striking white sweatband around his forehead, Depay fired agonisingly wide in first-half stoppage time as the Dutch maintained control and racked up shots.
Poland largely managed to stifle their opponents in a more even second half, with the Netherlands short of ideas.
Verbruggen saved from Jakub Kiwior at his near post, while the rampaging Denzel Dumfries threatened twice at the other end.
It took Weghorst to finally put the Oranje ahead. He finished clinically with his first opportunity two minutes after coming on.
Ake, who also teed up Gakpo for the opener, slid a low cross into the box and Weghorst diverted it home with a tidy finish.
"The task was to win the first match at all costs, and we succeeded," said Van Dijk, who added that his team had to defend corners better.
"For the [first goal] he gets a free go at it, we have to pay attention to that, we have to be critical and I am also referring to myself."
Boosted by their late winner, Netherlands next face tournament favourites France on Friday, while Poland take on Austria hoping to have Lewandowski fit to play.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.9" Liquid Retina IPS, 2360 x 1640, 264ppi, wide colour, True Tone, Apple Pencil support
Chip: Apple M1, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Memory: 64/256GB storage; 8GB RAM
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, Smart HDR
Video: 4K @ 25/25/30/60fps, full HD @ 25/30/60fps, slo-mo @ 120/240fps
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR, Centre Stage; full HD @ 25/30/60fps
Audio: Stereo speakers
Biometrics: Touch ID
I/O: USB-C, smart connector (for folio/keyboard)
Battery: Up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi; up to 9 hours on cellular
Finish: Space grey, starlight, pink, purple, blue
Price: Wi-Fi – Dh2,499 (64GB) / Dh3,099 (256GB); cellular – Dh3,099 (64GB) / Dh3,699 (256GB)
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