Not only the Dutch media were particularly critical of the Dutch national team after the elimination by the Czech Republic (0-2) in the eighth final of the European Championship. The newspapers abroad are also very hard on the the Dutch after the debacle in the Puskas Arena in Budapest. “Without the Netherlands we play at the European Championship”, headlines the German BILD, elaborating on the teasing song from 2002 when the Netherlands missed the World Cup: Ohne Holland fahren wir zur WM‘Without the Netherlands we will go to the World Cup’.
“A handball decides the eighth final, as a result of which the first European Championship favorite flies out with the Dutch national team. The Czech Republic trauma continues with this,” he said BILD to the handball of Matthijs de Ligt and the previous results of the Netherlands against the Czech Republic: a defeat in 1976 in the semi-final of the European Championship, a fatal draw in the group stage of the European Championship of 1980, the defeat at the European Championship of 2004 and the decisive defeat in the qualifying series, as a result of which the the Dutch squad missed the European Championship in France in 2016.
The worst man in the Dutch gets a 2 after a failure in Budapest
Voetbalzone handed out report figures to the players of the Dutch.
‘Czech mate’, reads the ingenious headline of the Daily Mirror. “What would the Netherlands have done to have Virgil van Dijk fit available?”, the English newspaper openly wonders. “From the first minute it was clear that they had problems in the back, but now they were revealed very painfully. Every time the Czech Republic attacked, they found space between Daley Blind and Patrick van Aanholt.”
marca still enjoys himself with Rafael van der Vaart, who was critical of Spain earlier this European Championship. A hint of karma can therefore be discovered in the conclusions of the Spanish sports newspaper. De Ligt is criticized because he went into the much-discussed duel with Patrik Schick too relaxed. “He thought he had already won. The handball that followed can only be seen as the act of a desperate man. He didn’t even protest to the referee. ( . . . ) Frenkie de Jong was totally invisible and looked nothing like the player we know from Barcelona. ( . . . ) We’ve talked about Van der Vaart before, but it doesn’t hurt to mention him again. Regards Rafa!”
“Ow ow ow, the Dutch”, writes The newspapaer. “A very weak Netherlands went completely under after the red card for Matthijs de Ligt and can already pack after the eighth finals. They were so happy that they were on the ‘right’ half of the table, that they were allowed to play against the Czech Republic, but now there is sadness everywhere. And what a hard time De Boer will have to endure…” Also sporza thinks the Dutch national team should be ashamed. “Shame red on the Dutch’s cheeks. While the way to the final was open, it already died at the first real hurdle. Despite quite a few offensive impulses, especially in the first half, the Netherlands failed to get even one shot between the posts.”
In the view of the Daily Mail The Netherlands mainly got itself in trouble. “The team failed to get into the rhythm. Instead – not for the first time at a major tournament – the self-destruct button was pressed. De Ligt was shown red after a handball, making him the fourth Dutch player to be sent off the field at a European Championship. A record.” At the BBC they talked about ‘a shocking shutdown’. “The Czech Republic was better in every way,” assured former footballer and analyst Dion Dublin. “They showed more commitment. It was disappointing from the Netherlands, they have so much talent. Sometimes you have to give your opponent a little more respect.”
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