Danny Murphy has issued his verdict on the performance of Cody Gakpo after the Liverpool forward helped the Netherlands open their Euro 2024 campaign with a win on Sunday.
Cody Gakpo started for Ronald Koeman’s side against Poland, and it was the 25-year-old who managed to level the game just before the half hour mark, with his deflected effort beating Wojciech Szczesny.
Netherlands’ winner came just a couple of minutes after Gakpo had been replaced, with Wout Weghorst coming up with another crucial goal in a major tournament for the champions of 1988.
By that time, Gakpo had managed to make a really impressive impact on the game, with Danny Murphy telling BBC One at half-time that he was extremely lively during the opening 45 minutes.
Danny Murphy praises Cody Gakpo as Netherlands win
“Gakpo looks really fit and confident. He is positive with his runs and is getting in good areas. He gets a bit of luck with the deflection,” he said.
“He has been in some really good positions and he will probably be a little disappointed that he hasn’t scored more. He has got the goal his performance deserved.”
Liverpool star has point to prove after mixed season
Gakpo was definitely one of the standout performers for the Dutch, with only Nathan Ake contributing more key passes than the Liverpool star, according to Whoscored.
Meanwhile, he completed more dribbles than anyone else, with four, and also won four aerial duels. Virgil van Dijk was the only player on either side to win more.
It was not a vintage performance from the Netherlands, who were given a bit of a scare by Poland. A win essentially sees the Dutch put one foot in the knockout stages.
Gakpo had a little bit of a point to prove after a mixed season for Liverpool, with the former PSV Eindhoven man struggling to stand out amongst the Reds’ amazing array of attacking talent.
Some have been incredibly critical of Gakpo during his time on Merseyside, but Gakpo appeared to get better as the campaign had gone on.
It will be interesting to see if Sunday’s display is a bright sign for what is to come from the forward in this tournament – and if that has a positive impact on his form upon his return to Liverpool.