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#3 Wijnaldum and De Jong run the show in midfield
While Gini Wijnaldum led from the front as captain and broke the deadlock on the night, Frenkie de Jong pulled the strings from the center of the park for the Netherlands. The duo complemented each other perfectly, with Wijnaldum's work rate and tenacity acting as the perfect foil to De Jong's natural ability on the ball.
The Barcelona midfielder was one of the best players on the pitch, as he made a series of delightful passes to keep things ticking for his side. Netherlands controlled proceedings from the opening exchanges thanks in no small part to their midfield, although Marten de Roon flattered to deceive with an average display.
Wijnaldum and De Jong struck up a fruitful partnership under Ronald Koeman and have seemingly carried on from where they left off, as they look to continue their rich vein of form in the games ahead.
#2 Dumfries redeems himself after missing 2 glorious chances
In what was an eventful night at the Johan Cruyff Arena, Denzel Dumfries emerged as the unlikely matchwinner for the Netherlands. The PSV defender was in the thick of the action for his side and caused the Ukraine backline a handful of problems with his forward runs. Dumfries missed two glorious opportunities to break the deadlock for his side before the interval, as his close-range header went wide of the post after he was initially denied by Ukraine goalkeeper Heorhiy Bushchan.
However, he made amends late in the game to seal a stunning victory for his side, as he headed home a Nathan Ake cross to score his first goal for the Netherlands. His goal gave his side three points, but it could turn out to be a priceless strike in what looks like a tricky group to negotiate for Oranje.
#1 Netherlands return to the big stage with a bang
After several years in the doldrums, Netherlands finally returned to the big stage at Euro 2020. Oranje failed to qualify for the last two major tournaments and lost former manager Ronald Koeman to Barcelona in unexpected fashion last year, while Virgil van Dijk failed to make his return from injury in time to be named in the squad.
However, in their first game of the season, they showed flashes of brilliance under Frank de Boer, who has been slated for his tactics since replacing Koeman at the helm. Netherlands pressed high up the pitch and controlled the game in midfield, while they also linked up well in attack.
Their defending wasn't exactly top notch, but that is understandable given the fact that they were without Van Dijk and Matthijs de Ligt, with the latter set to return to the squad for the next game.
Much like Italy, Netherlands are back on the big stage and will look to record a few sizable scalps in the games ahead.
