the Dutch Futsal failed to qualify for the quarterfinals of the European Championship 2022. In the last group match against Serbia, the Dutch futsal players took a 2-0 lead, but it was completely lost in the space of five minutes: 2-3. The next round would have been secured with a draw. Portugal and Ukraine are out of Group A through to the quarter-finals, joining Kazakhstan, Finland and Georgia.
National coach Max Tjaden chose four other names in the base than against Portugal in the third game. Record international Jamal El Ghannouti had his first base place, the other players were already in the base against Ukraine. the Dutch made an eager impression in the opening phase. It sat on top of it and gave the Serbs little time to build up. After a good interception, El Ghannouti immediately released Jordany Martinus for Nemanja Momcilovic. With a smart punt under the keeper, he immediately finished the first chance for the the Dutch. Karim Mossaoui dribbled past a number of Serbian defenders moments later and tried, just like Martinus, with a punt. The bet was blocked. Serbia didn’t get much further than some long shots and if someone did show up for Kuijk, the Dutch keeper was the winner.
Out of nowhere, the Dutch Futsal got a huge opportunity. Serbia lost the ball under pressure. Mossaoui was immediately one-on-one, but the ball went wide. Five minutes before the halftime signal, Serbia got a free kick in a dangerous place close to the goal. Captain Oualid Saadouni threw himself with all his might for the shot that followed. He managed to block the ball, but had to pay for his act with an injury. Barely a minute later, the the Dutch almost made it 2-0. After a lightning-fast counter, Tevfik Ceyar got the ball a few meters from the goal; however, he shot it wide from the turn. Ceyar had to miss the first two matches at the European Championship, by testing positive for corona just before the start of the tournament.
Two and a half minutes after the break, Yoshua St.Juste seemed to shoot wide. However, the ball was touched by Rakic, so that he flew into the goal. Serbia had to take more risks with the 2-0 deficit and the Netherlands lurked on the counter. Lahcen Bouyouzan seemed to be cashing in on one of them. However, he couldn’t get the ball completely under control, so he had to try his luck far from the goal. It did not work. Against the odds, Serbia came back into the game. After a kick-off, the Serbian routine Rajcevic shot from the air through the legs of St. Juste. Kuijk had no chance on the pitch. Moments later, Matijevic even seemed to score the equalizer. Kuijk was already defeated but the shot bounced off the post.
Serbia shot from all positions, but the Dutch, especially Kuijk, threw himself like lions for every goal attempt. The the Dutch appeared to counter after a recaptured ball, but lost it unnecessarily. The Dutch players had all run forward and so three men from Serbia faced Kuijk. He had no chance against the force majeure. A few seconds later, Serbia even came in 2-3. A shot went through between players like a pinball machine, after which Denis Ramic gave the last tap at the far post. In a few minutes, the magical evening for the Dutch had turned into hell. That hell seemed to change for a while, but Saïd Bouzambou shot a penalty wide of the goal. Kuijk was substituted to make way for an extra outfielder, Mossaoui. the Dutch surrounded the Serbs, but could not express the dominance in goals. It was only after the final whistle that the 3-3 fell, but it no longer counted.