Noa Vahle thinks it is brave that Daley Blind dares to openly state that the Dutch national team cannot complain about the opponents in the knockout phase of the European Championship in Germany. The Dutch team easily eliminated Romania in the second round and now have to deal with Turkey to secure a place in the semi-finals.

“We are not in a position to look further,” Blind is currently only focusing on the quarter-final match against Turkey. “After the group stage, we were lucky in terms of the opponents we could get. You don't have to deny that.”

“And then you win against Romania with a good match. And then you continue with a good feeling. This match (against Turkey, ed.) will be completely different,” Blind tempers the euphoria in the Oranje camp after the big win over the Romanian team. “And I also don't think it's wise to look further.”

Vahle

“You are one of the few who say that we have been lucky. Because no one really wants to say that,” Vahle summarizes Blind's statement that the Dutch national team is on the right side of the schedule at this European Championship.

“Well, if you look at the draw… You finish third in the group and then you look at what other opponents encounter in other positions,” Blind seems to be referring to, among others, the Belgian team, which was eliminated in the round of 16 by France.

“You don't have to deny that, and you don't have to lie about it either,” Blind repeats that the Netherlands avoids the top countries in the eighth and quarter finals of EURO 2024. “But they are games that you have to win, if you also look at other matches in the tournament. Where the smaller countries on paper make it very difficult for the big countries.”

“You have to do it yourself every match. And what I'm saying: that will be the case against Turkey. It's a match in itself in the knockout phase. Anything can happen. So it's up to us,” said the reserve player of the Dutch national team.

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