Former Barcelona manager raves about Liverpool star 'who played great' in Euro 2024 opener

Cody Gakpo was on target in Holland’s victory over Poland.

Ronald Koeman heaped praise on Cody Gakpo after he was on target in Holland’s Euro 2024 curtain-raiser victory.

Cody Gakpo of the Netherlands celebrates scoring his team's first goal with Ronald Koeman, Head Coach of the Netherlands, during the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage match between Poland and Netherlands at Volksparkstadion on June 16, 2024 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) | Getty Images

placeholder image — Cody Gakpo of the Netherlands celebrates scoring his team's first goal with Ronald Koeman, Head Coach of the Netherlands, during the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage match between Poland and Netherlands at Volksparkstadion on June 16, 2024 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Netherlands earned a 2-1 victory over Poland in Group D. They had to battle behind after Adam Buska opened the scoring in the 16th minute.

But Liverpool forward Gakpo levelled 13 minutes later when he 25-yard deflected effort found the back of the net. Holland had to wait until the 83rd minute to seal all three points through substitute Wout Weghorst.

Gakpo was lively throughout the encounter before he was substituted for Jeremie Frimpong in the 81st minute, with Anfield captain Virgil van Dijk featuring for the entire game.

Koeman was satisfied with three points but believes that his side can improve. The former Everton and Barcelona boss said: "For the most part, the end is good, all's well.

“You did very well for an hour. Being able to create a lot of opportunities.' However, the national coach was disappointed with the way his team defended the opponent's goal. 'You fall behind because of a bad defensive moment in a standard situation. That really needs to be improved.'

“'It should have been 3-1 or 4-1 at half-time and after that you see that it becomes difficult. I don't know how many chances we had. Germany gets two chances and they score two goals. We create five and make one. Getting opportunities is one thing, but making them is another...'

“'I really thought Cody Gakpo played great, but you still want to bring fresh players with speed and depth. That also went well with Jeremie and Donyell. It was hard-fought, but more than deserved.”