- The Netherlands beat Romania 3-0 in the Euro 2024 round of 16 on Tuesday night
- Donyell Malen scored twice, but his second goal caused great confusion.
- Listen to It’s all just beginning! EUROS DAILY: Why does England seem “miserable” and divided into “two factions”?
A bizarre incident occurred during the Netherlands’ 3-0 win over Romania in the Euro 2024 round of 16, when fans threw a pair of trainers onto the pitch before Donyell Malen scored the Oranje’s third goal.
Ronald Koeman’s side advanced to the quarter-finals of the tournament thanks to two goals from the Borussia Dortmund star and one from Cody Gakpo, but it was Malen’s second goal that caused confusion.
As the striker ran towards the Romanian goal, a pair of coaches were seen inside the area.
Romanian goalkeeper Florian Nita was forced to kick a boot away, before Malen cut inside and fired past him, with the ball, thankfully, not touching either boot.
It’s unclear what happened first, but Romania fans were behind that goal in the second half, so it was assumed that a frustrated fan threw them onto the pitch.
Fans reportedly threw sneakers onto the pitch during the Netherlands’ 3-0 win over Romania
The boots were placed precariously inside Romania’s penalty area when Donyell Malen cut inside.
Romanian goalkeeper Florian Nita (top of screen) was forced to kick a trainer when Malen shot.
Malen’s goal allowed him to beat Darius Oaru and Razvan Marin after a gruelling run, before finishing powerfully to book his side a quarter-final against Turkey or Austria.
Fans were left baffled by the bizarre situation, with one saying: “A Romanian fan tried to stop him with his sneakers,” while another added: “That’s new.”
Another confused fan said: “Well, but why were there trainers in Malen’s goal area? Not boots, but running shoes. Did anyone else see this? I need answers.”
Other fans mocked the situation which was almost reminiscent of Darren Bent’s infamous goal for Sunderland against Liverpool in 2009.
On that occasion, the striker saw his shot deflect off a beach ball and fly past a helpless Pepe Reina in the Reds goal.
One said: ‘Upset Malen didn’t have his shot deflected away by one of those coaches lying around…’, while another joked: ‘Malen should have picked up the coach on the pitch and done the celebration over the phone.’
Nita kicked another of the shoes in frustration as Romania’s Euro 2024 campaign ended
Meanwhile, speaking on the BBC’s coverage of the game, Gary Lineker gave his thoughts on the incident.
“I love how the goalie kicks one of the coaches before trying to make the save,” he said. “Did you see that?”
Ashley Williams replied: “Well, if I had kicked the ball, maybe it would have been better…”
Linker then further joked about the incident, adding, “I didn’t know product placement was allowed like that in these competitions.”
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