Cody Gakpo was the hero of the show, scoring the first goal in the Netherlands’ 3-0 victory over Romania.

Gakpo then assisted Holland’s goal, scored by Donyell Malen.

Malen then scored the third goal, sealing the deal for the Netherlands.

Holland has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Euros.

The Anfield wideman, however, guided Holland into the last eight with a goal and an assist for Donyell Malan, who also scored the third.

In truth, the Dutch should have had a few more against a Romanian team that faltered after a promising start.

This was a remarkable performance by Ronald Koeman’s team, a powerful response to the criticism and disappointment of their 3-2 setback to Austria in their final group game.

Gakpo’s first-half goal moved him to joint top of the goalscoring statistics with three.

In addition to the three he scored at the Qatar World Cup, six of his 12 goals for his country have come in significant events.

Koeman and his teammates won Holland’s lone big prize here in Munich, in the Olympiastadion, when they defeated the USSR in the 1988 Europan Championship final.

Following this confidence-boosting performance, and with a favourable draw, they should be optimistic about their chances of winning again.

Gakpo’s goal transformed the game and the entire atmosphere in the stadium.

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After loud, overwhelming performances in their group games, the Dutch fans found themselves outnumbered and outgunned in Munich.

Although the primary yellow and orange sections were nearly the same size, Romanians dominated the rest of the stadium.

Their national anthem, when sung loudly, is powerful, proclaiming that Roman blood still courses in their veins as a result of Emperor Trajan’s conquest approximately 2,000 years ago.

Romania began as a team driven by history and the promise of making more, reaching the final eight of a major tournament for the third time.

The fans cheered them on as they flung themselves into challenges and charged at the Dutch backline.

A better pass from Ianis Hagi could have unleashed frontman Denis Dragus.

Dragus’s better touch as he got in behind Stefan De Vrij would have given him the opportunity to open the scoring.

Dennis Man shot barely over the bar, and the Dutch appeared worried.

Then Koeman’s side got the lead from almost nothing, and it was a terrible goal to concede.

The ball was moved out to Gakpo on the left, who was undoubtedly racing fast.

But Romania’s blue-haired right back, Andrei Ratiu, made an even bigger spectacle of himself by showing the Liverpool midfielder the inside as if he had never seen him play before.

Florin Nita, the custodian, could only flap his weak hands at Gakpo’s shot, which went in at his near post.

Hagi and Man both had off-target shots before the Dutch fans behind Nita’s goal celebrated a second goal, only to discover that De Vrij’s header from Memphis Depay’s corner had gone into the side net.

Then it took some excellent defending by Tottenham’s Radu Dragusin to prevent Steven Bergwijn’s cross reaching Depay.

Despite his iconic white headband, the former Manchester United player became more adept at sneaking into perilous places.

Holland had the opportunity to expand their lead twice more. Tijjani Reijnders waited too long to fire, followed by Xavi Simons, who dallied even longer after further superb work by Dumfries before striking the ball tamely and shooting wide.

Romania had a couple of late-half pushes, but it felt like manager Edward Iordanescu needed to deliver the speech of his life at halftime to help his squad recapture their original aggression and purpose.

It didn’t seem like he had.

Reijnders was allowed to run half of the pitch before his shot was blocked.

Then, with the goal at his mercy, Depay appeared to panic when half-time substitute Donyell Malen’s strike was diverted into his path. Nita gratefully dropped the ball.

Malen squandered a three-on-two opportunity, and Virgil Van Dijk’s header from a Depay corner touched the post.

Then it was Gakpo’s turn to run deep into the Romanian half, forcing Nita to make a decent stop. He had the ball in the net following the corner, but VAR ruled it out due to clear offside.

That reprieve roused the Romanian crowd. However, their team was still on the rack, as Depay sent a free kick barely wide.

Gakpo set up substitute Joey Veerman with a stunning backheel, but the shot was narrowly missed. Simons nearly scored by accident after the ball was cleared onto him, and Malen fumbled another overload, resulting in Gakpo’s attempt being blocked.

The second goal arrived with seven minutes remaining.

Tottenham defender Radu Dragusin let Gakpo get by him on the byline, and Malen couldn’t miss from within the six-yard box.

And the Borussia Dortmund forward sealed it deep into stoppage time with a strong finish following another quick burst.

If Gakpo continues to shine brighter in orange than in red, Holland may be able to go the distance.

VAR has ruled out Gakpo’s second strike.