Holland fans are accused of doing 'blackface' in attempt to dress up as legend Ruud Gullit during Euro 2024 victory over Poland

Holland beat Poland 2-1 in their opening match of Euro 2024 on SundayA group of Dutch supporters painted their faces to look like Ruud GullitLISTEN to It's All Kicking Off! 'It would be criminal not to use Alexander-Arnold's extravagant talent'

A group of Holland fans have come under criticism for doing 'blackface' in their attempts to dress as Ruud Gullit during Sunday's Euro 2024 opener against Poland.

It was a happy day for Dutch fans, who saw their team come from behind to win 2-1 at the Volkspark Stadium in Berlin.

Adam Buksa gave the Poles the lead in the 16th minute but Cody Gakpo levelled before Wout Weghorst netted a late winner.

However, somewhat of a sour taste has been left after some supporters painted their faces black to look like Gullit.

Blackface is a historical practice that dates back around 200 years. It's seen as racist and many people find it deeply offensive.

A group of Holland supporters have come under criticism for doing 'blackface'

It commonly refers to when someone (typically with white skin) paints their face darker to resemble a black person.

It is a particularly controversial issue in Holland, where the tradition of Christmas character Black Pete causes much division.

The presence of 'Zwarte Piet' at Christmas festivals and on television is an annual source of debate in the Netherlands, with critics and protesters calling the character a racist throwback to the colonial era.

He has traditionally been played by white actors in blackface, wearing a curly afro-style wig and red lipstick.

The issue of blackface is particularly controversial in Holland due to a Christmas tradition

Striker Wout Weghorst came off the bench to snatch a late winner with his first touch and give Holland a deserved 2-1 comeback victory over Poland in their Group D opener.

Weghorst had barely been on the field when he slid home Nathan Ake's perfect pass into the area in the 83rd minute to send the tens of thousands of 'Oranje' fans at Hamburg's Volksparkstadion into raptures.

It was his third consecutive goal as a substitute for the national side.

'So important to get the early win and for me personally it's a dream scenario,' the 31-year-old said. 'I felt the goal coming. Our aim now is to leave with the trophy.'

Hoping to emulate their Euro 1988 triumph -- also in Germany -- the Dutch dominated from the off with slick-passing attacks led by man-of-the-match Cody Gakpo.

But they were shocked in the 16th minute when Adam Buksa, replacing Poland's injured goal machine Robert Lewandowski, towered above three defenders for a beautiful flick into the net from stand-in captain Piotr Zielinski's corner.

'I have mixed feelings. First there was euphoria but now I'm just sad that we lost that match,' Buksa said. 'We definitely played a good match against a really good team... No points in this case. However, we are not putting our guns down.'

The Dutch equalised in the 29th minute with a low shot by the livewire Gakpo from outside the area that took a deflection off defender Bartosz Salamon to beat Wojciech Szczesny.

To the frustration of coach Ronald Koeman, the profligate Dutch missed a string of first-half chances: classy midfielder Tijjani Reijnders shot just wide, Memphis Depay fluffed two good opportunities, Gakpo put another shot over and Virgil van Dijk saw a close-range strike saved.

At the back, Van Dijk seemed always one step ahead of his man while Ake marauded forward time and again, providing the assists for both goals.

The Dutch wasted more chances in the second half, Denzel Dumfries seeing a header clawed away by Szczesny and Xavi Simons shooting wide, before Weghorst came to the rescue.