Holland 4-2 Denmark
The Netherlands won their first major women’s international tournament after a thrilling victory over Denmark in the Euro 2017 final on home soil.
Denmark raced into an early lead as Nadia Nadim calmly converted her penalty after Sanne Troelsgaard was upended by Kika Van Es, but the hosts equalised shortly after thanks to Miedema’s emphatic finish from close-range.
Lieke Martens put the hosts ahead with a precise 20-yard finish, but Denmark’s Pernille Harder slotted in to equalise.
Dutch captain Sherida Spitse blasted in a free-kick to make it 3-2, and Miedema sealed a historic triumph late on.
Surprise finalists Denmark had pushed for another equaliser late on, as Sanne Troelsgaard went close with a swerving half-volley which dipped past the right-hand post.
But the Dutch, backed by the majority of a sold-out 28,182 crowd in Enschede, never looked in serious danger of conceding again and put the game beyond the Danes when Miedema scored the fourth.
It sparked a party atmosphere inside the FC Twente Stadion where virtually every home supporter was wearing the national team colour of orange.
An emotional Miedema appeared to be in tears in the final few seconds of the match, before the stadium erupted when the final whistle was blown.
The Netherlands had never reached the final of a major tournament, with their previous best performance coming when they reached the semi-finals of the 2009 European Championships.
They were not among the pre-tournament favourites, but once France and holders Germany – who were going for a sixth successive title – had been eliminated, they built on the momentum created with the support of their fans.
The Dutch had won all of their games at the tournament leading up to the final, conceding just once in five matches, and beating England in the last four.
Watched by Dutch football legends Marco van Basten and Louis van Gaal in the stands, the home side produced a professional display to fight back against a Denmark team they had already beaten 1-0 in the group stage.
After twice going behind, the Netherlands started to find their rhythm midway through the first half and eventually showed their superiority.
- Netherland and Barcelona winger Lieke Martens being presented with the official Player of the Tournament award.
- Golden Boot was won by England’s Jodie Taylor. The Arsenal player Taylor finished as the tournament’s top scorer with five goals.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
- First hosts to win the tournament since Germany in 2001.
- All six Netherlands games sold out for an aggregate attendance of 110,897, a record for a single nation at a UEFA Women’s EURO.
- Only the fourth nation to win the title and the first new champions since (West) Germany in 1989.
- Only the second nation to have been both men’s and women’s European champions after Germany
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