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EURO 2020: Netherlands return with thrilling win

Netherlands edged Ukraine 3-2 to start their UEFA Euro 2020 campaign in Group C on a winning note on Sunday evening.

Matthijs De Ligt was an obvious absentee for the Dutch, who recalled Patrick Van Aanholt and Jurrien Timber, whilst Ukraine had Heorhiy Bushchan in goal instead of Andriy Pyatov.

Ukraine were thrown into disarray 12 minutes in as Marlos entered the fray in the place of Oleksandr Zubkov following a suspected injury strain.

Bushchan would remain the busier of the two goalkeepers inside the half-hour mark with a smart stop from a low close-range attempt by Wout Weghorst.

The work wasn't done for Bushchan as he made an outstanding one-hand stop six minutes to halftime to parry a first-time effort from point-blank range by Georginio Wijnaldum.

Wijnaldum atoned seven minutes from halftime when he attacked a loose ball in the area for a thumping first-time effort past Bushchan, who battled to smother a low cross.

Ukraine began to fell apart inside 58 minutes after Weghorst popped up on the near side of the area to fire in off Bushchan much to the approval of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

Netherlands began to drop back in the latter stages and allowed Ukraine to pull a goal back through a stunning top-corner strike by Andriy Yarmolenko.

The Oranje were breached again when Roman Yaremchuk met a well-weighted delivery from a free-kick to find the bottom-corner with a clever header.

However, the Dutch reclaimed the lead with five minutes to go after Denzel Dumfries connected with an inch-perfect delivery from Ake to head beyond an outstretched Bushchan for the winner.

Scroll through the gallery to see the kits that will be on display at Euro 2020

Austria
Austria
Belgium
Belgium
Czech Republic
Czech Republic
Croatia
Croatia
Denmark
Denmark
England
England
Italy
Italy
France
France
Germany
Germany
Hungary
Hungary
Netherlands
Netherlands
North Macedonia
North Macedonia
Poland
Poland
Portugal
Portugal
Russia
Russia
Scotland
Scotland
Slovakia
Slovakia
Spain
Spain
Finland
Finland
Sweden
Sweden
Switzerland
Switzerland
Turkey
Turkey
Ukraine
Ukraine
Wales
Wales
Scroll through the gallery to see the home kits of
Scroll through the gallery to see the home kits of the 24 nations taking part in the 2020 UEFA European Championship

Austria started their UEFA Euro 2020 journey with a 3-1 victory over North Macedonia in a Group C clash on Sunday evening.

Real Madrid's new signing David Alaba set out the Austrians stall, but Marko Arnautovic started on the bench in favour of Marcel Sabitzer whereas Macedonia included veteran Goran Pandev.

The Austrian outfit seized the breakthrough after 18 minutes as Stefan Lainer cropped up at the back-post to side-foot a diagonal delivery into the far corner of the net.

Pandev came good shortly before the half-hour mark in rather fortuitous circumstances when he made full use of a loose clearance in the area to net his nation's first-ever goal at the finals.

Austria entered the start of the second stanza with a substitution in Philipp Lienhart, who came on in the place of Aleksandar Dragovic.

Further introductions from the Austrians a little before fulltime saw Arnautovic in for Sasa Kalajdzic and Michael Gregoritsch installed for Christoph Baumgartner.

Gregoritsch settled in quickly midway following the second half with a floating delivery into the area, but the goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski saved.

Gregoritsch would indeed prove his mark twelve minutes from time as he charged onto a low delivery from the left-side by Alaba to finally get the better of Dimitrievski with a smart finish.

Austria weren't done as Arnautovic joined in on the act a minute before the end when he rounded Dimitrievski for a lovely composed close-range finish, as Das Team started Euro 2020 on a high.

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