The Netherlands’ delight with an emphatic 4-0 win over Iceland in their last warm-up match on Monday before heading to the Euros turned to despair when it was announced that the playmaker Frenkie de Jong would not be going to the tournament in Germany.
The 27-year-old had been battling to be fit in time after suffering several ankle injuries this season playing for Barcelona. De Jong attempted training for the first time with his teammates on Sunday, after a week of individual work, but after examinations on Monday doctors said he would not be ready in time.
That put a damper on Dutch spirits despite the decisive home victory over Iceland in a friendly at Feyenoord’s De Kuip stadium. Xavi Simons scored his first goal for his country to put the Dutch 1-0 up at half-time, before Virgil van Dijk got on the scoresheet and Donyell Malen added the third. Wout Weghorst netted the fourth on the stroke of full time as the Dutch prepare to face Poland on Sunday in Hamburg.
Poland’s Nicola Zalewski scored a 90th-minute winner to snatch a 2-1 victory over Turkey in the final warm-up match for both sides before Euro 2024 but the home side will be worried over injuries to strikers Karol Swiderski and Robert Lewandowski.
Swiderski opened the scoring in the 12th minute, slipping his shot under the legs of goalkeeper Mert Gunok but as the forward celebrated he came down awkwardly on his ankle and went off injured shortly afterwards.
Turkey equalised in the 77th minute with two substitutes involved when Kenan Yildiz passed to Baris Alper Yilmaz on the edge of the area and his shot went through the legs of defender Bartosz Salamon and past keeper Wojciech Szczesny.
Both sides had chances to find a winner but it was Poland who extended their unbeaten run to eight games when Zalewski went on a solo run into the area and netted a fine goal in the final minute. Turkey are without a win in five games.
Poland had already lost Arkadiusz Milik to injury during their 3-1 win over Ukraine on Friday, with the Juventus forward then left out of the Euro squad, and, after Swiderski’s injury, manager Michal Probierz could have even more problems.
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The sight of talisman Lewandowski going off injured later in the first half was the last thing any Poland fan wanted to see, but his injury may not be as serious as Swiderski’s. “Robert has a slight injury but there should be no problem,” Probierz said. Poland face the Netherlands on Sunday in their opening game at the Euros.
The Czech Republic laboured to a 2-1 win over North Macedonia with two second-half penalties on Monday in their final tune-up as the hosts rarely threatened a team that failed to qualify for the tournament.
The Czech coach, Ivan Hasek, made nine changes from the 7-1 win over Malta on Friday, fielding a likely starting team for the Euros with midfielder Tomas Soucek and forward Patrik Schick. The Czech Republic struck first on the hour when Schick converted a penalty after a foul on Soucek. Isnik Alimi levelled five minutes later when he headed home a rebound off the post before Antonin Barak notched the winning penalty in added time.
The Czechs, who will go to Germany without Michal Sadilek after the Twente Enschede midfielder injured himself on a tricycle at the weekend, start their Euro campaign on 18 June against Portugal in Leipzig before facing Georgia and Turkey.
