Do not rule out Holland at these Euros. Even though they blew a two-goal lead, at home, but ended up needing to win twice.

There was a lot to like in their performance, they created so many chances it could have been over at half-time and they were cruising, or so it seemed when one goal turned into two and Ukraine looked beaten, confidence gone, and exhausted.

But Ukraine were not beaten, they were not tired. They came back, playing some excellent football at times and fully justifying their enhanced reputation heading into the tournament.

Ukraine have not had many better sides than this one and they are much improved from four years ago. The goals they scored were high quality and they had been just about threatening enough throughout to say they deserved the draw.

But they could not hold on to the equaliser they had worked so hard to score, Holland crushed them with a third goal. They are a team with talent, we knew that already, but do they have the spirit to go with it?

Maybe we have more reason to believe they do, despite the poor form in lockdown and a sense of unease in the camp.

When to lose a two-goal lead the impact is huge, devastating, but when you respond to a setback rather than moan about it, you have something about you when the pressure is on.

Just as it was starting to get a little anxious, the small hint of tension creeping into things, the more chances they created and then missed, Gini Wijnaldum delivered the breakthrough that saw the real Holland emerge.

It was as well as anyone has played in the opening group games and what they have shown is if they take the lead they will be difficult to equalise against because they keep the ball so well.

And having waited for the lead for too long, the goal quickly led to a second, Dumfries making up for a bad miss in the first half with a well-taken one in the second which made make things comfortable. Or at least appear to be.

The plan was for Holland to take an early lead and then defend it by forcing Ukraine to chase possession for so long they did not have either the energy or the time to equalise.

A goal felt like it was coming for most of the first half, Holland were sharp and incisive but the problem was it was not only Holland who looked capable of scoring it.

Their eagerness to make the breakthrough, especially early on as the ball flew from one end to the other, also made them vulnerable.

Holland should have scored, and probably deserved to on the balance of play, but did not convert any of their numerous half-chances, as well as two they really should have taken.

The closer we got to half-time the more anxious Holland looked and although they finished the half strongly and should have been in front when Memphis Depay did well to find Denzel Dumfries inside the area.

Unmarked at the far post it was the sort of chance that is so good, the fans are already starting their celebration at the precise moment the player misses it.

And, while Holland started and finished the first half on top and creating chances, they were not the only ones. Ukraine also had enough moments to have also taken the lead and seemed to become more frequent the closer we got to the break

But finally the goal came, Wignaldum popping up inside the area to ease the tension. Dumfries started the party atmosphere only for it to sour and threaten to turn ugly for Frank de Boer as well as the players.

Dumfries, though, had other ideas and Holland roused themselves again, the winner sparking wild scenes.

The Dutch fans are back and so might their team. It was the game of the Euros so far. 

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]