'I should have scored more!' - Denzel Dumfries gets self-critical about new-found eye for goal as Netherlands scorer admits he hurt himself celebrating against Poland

Netherlands and Poland kicked off their World Cup qualifying campaign with a hard-fought 1-1 draw in Rotterdam. The match saw Dutch dominance in terms of possession and opportunities, with Dumfries giving the home side the lead with a powerful header from a corner in the 28th minute. However, the Inter full-back wasn't completely satisfied with his goal as he claimed he could've scored more given his recent goal scoring spells. 

Dumfries has recently scored several important goals, especially in the 2024-25 season. He scored multiple goals in January 2025 against Bologna, Empoli, and Lecce, including a brace against Atalanta in the Supercoppa semifinals. He further extended his goal scoring run scoring two goals against Barcelona in the Champions League Semifinals and later also provided two assists in the second leg.

That improvement has been reflected with the national team, too. Dumfries has 66 caps to his name, but his first goal did not come until three years after his debut. Of his 11 strikes for the national team, five have come in the last 12 months. Rather than celebrate the improvement, though, Dumfries opted to chastise himself for not scoring more earlier in his career.

Asked about his goal in the first half, Dumfries told NOS: "That ball came, and then you just have to nod. My 11th goal in 66 international matches. Yes, I've scored a lot in recent matches, especially. What does that say? That I should have scored more in my first international matches."

The defender also admitted to a humorous detail about his powerful celebration. He confirmed that while celebrating his goal, he "hit the advertising board, which hurt a bit, but it's no problem."

On the game overall, he added: "We had chances and plenty of opportunities to create danger. But you know that things can always go wrong when it's 1-0. We should have made it 2-0. Poland has players who play at the top level; they can always strike, you know that. So the feeling is mixed. I think our play on the pitch was good."

Dumfries will try to add more goals to his tally for  Netherlands and considering they are now in a tough spot now, the 29-year-old can reanimate his displays from the Champions League semi-finals. The Oranje's next World Cup qualifier is against Lithuania on September 7.