“He showed how important he is for us. He’s a player with special qualities, ” Netherlands defender Daley Blind said. “He can do magical things with the ball. ”Netherlands assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy, a superb finisher himself, said Depay has blossomed into a leader. “I see a focus and conviction, a need to show what he has and the will to be the best, ” Van Nistelrooy said. “This is something which I find beautiful to see. ”But it wasn’t always that way for Depay.
Netherlands vs. Czech Republic: Live stream, start time, how to watch Euro 2020 Round of 16 (Sun., June 27)Netherlands and Czech Republic are set to meet on Sunday in Hungary for a 2020 European Championship Round of 16 showdown. Led by the duo of Gini Wijnaldum and Memphis Depay, the Dutch cruised through the group stage with three wins and a goal differential of +6.
“Of course, everybody knows the situation in Hungary, ” he told broadcaster NOS, referring to a new Hungarian law that prohibits sharing with minors any content portraying homosexuality or sex reassignment. The law has been denounced as anti-LGBT discrimination. There was strong support in Munich on Wednesday for the LGBT community before Germany’s match against Hungary. Germany captain Manuel Neuer wore a rainbow armband. “That appealed to us, ” Wijnaldum said.
When he joined Manchester United six years ago, it was amid much hype. He was given the iconic No. 7 jersey worn by George Best, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo. Best and Cantona were among the most skillful players ever to grace United, Beckham one of the club’s finest midfielders.
Ronaldo, a dazzling winger with lightning-fast feet, is now the co-record holder for most goals overall in a men’s national team with 109. Ronaldo is also the leading scorer at Euro 2020 with five goals and he is the competition’s overall leader with 14. The weight of expectation at United crushed Depay, who scored only seven goals in 53 games. He left in January 2017 to revive his career with seven-time French champion Lyon, the same year he started pursuing another passion as a hip-hop artist. Depay netted 76 goals in 178 games for Lyon, including a spectacular turn and lob from the halfway line. The Czechs have a major scoring threat of their own in striker Patrik Schick.
He has scored three goals so far at Euro 2020, the same as Netherlands midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum. Schick scored one of the tournament’s best goals with a spectacular looping shot from just inside the halfway line in a 2-0 win over Scotland. But he is the only player to have scored for the Czechs, who scraped through as one of the four best third-place teams. CAPTAIN’S ARMBANDWijnaldum will wear a captain’s armband emblazoned with “OneLove” and a multicolored heart in Sunday’s match.
CRUYFF AND PANENKAThe two sides have met before, when then-Czechoslovakia beat the Netherlands 3-1 after extra time in the 1976 semifinals. The Dutch had Johan Cruyff back then. His signature move was standing with his back to a defender, then spinning around him while flicking the ball through his legs in one swift movement. It became known as “The Cruyff Turn. ”But the Czechs had a player who would become famous in his own right. When the final against West Germany went to penalty kicks, midfielder Antonin Panenka had the tournament-winning kick at his feet. In front of him was the imposing Sepp Maier, one of the greatest goalkeepers of his era.
Form and head to head stats Czech Rep vs Netherlands
For the Czechs, a 1-1-1 record put them in third place in group D, good enough to advance to the knockout round where they will face a Netherlands side that has kept two consecutive clean sheets. Czech forward Patrik Schick has scored all three goals for his country in the competition, and will be leaned on again for offensive production. Sunday’s match will air on TV via ESPN through your cable or TV provider. If you don’t have cable, you can watch the match by signing up for a free trial of fuboTV or Sling. Czech Republic (2020 Euros Round of 16)Start time: 12 p. m.
ESTTV channel: ESPN (Channel finder: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast, Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV, Dish, Hulu, fuboTV, Sling. )Live stream: WatchESPN / ESPN app | fuboTV | Sling | You can watch the game (and most of the streaming broadcasts) online using your cable login credentials via WatchESPN / ESPN app. If you don’t have cable, you can sign up for fuboTV and Sling (or use their free trial) to watch online. More coverage via the Associated Press: BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The European Championship is finally giving Memphis Depay the chance to shine on the big stage. The Netherlands forward has two goals and two assists heading into Sunday’s match against the Czech Republic in the round of 16. He has scored seven goals in eight games in 2021 and, at 27, he’s entering his peak years. Depay’s mercurial ability played a large part in the team’s three wins in the group stage at Euro 2020, with the soon-to-be Barcelona forward scoring or creating half of the eight goals.
Netherlands vs Czech Republic LIVE! Euro 2021 match