– It’s a reflex, really. I didn’t see the ball coming, I just reacted, says Bart Vebruggen to news after the match. Because he became the hero in overtime with a super save, which at the same time secured the Netherlands’ semi-final match against England next Wednesday. – The last ten minutes … all the blocks and the saves. I’ve enjoyed playing with these guys so much with the attitude they have. It is a great privilege to be part of the team, says Verbruggen, who caused Turkish despair. Photo: JAVIER SORIANO / AFP And he was an important reason for the pain of the Turkish players after the match. Because in the end it was only Verbruggen that separated Turkey from an equaliser. – He has shown it throughout the tournament. He has been incredible. He is 21 years old and shows that mentality, says Dutchman Nathan Aké to news about the goalkeeper. Verbruggen himself had the best feeling ever on a football pitch. – Did you look up at the stands after the save in the final minutes? – No, I just looked at the ball. During the match, you forget the stands. But when the game is over, you look at the family and the orange-clad people in the stands. I think today is the best feeling I’ve had on a football pitch, he says. – Having them in the stands and sharing the moment with them is everything to me. Turned around in minutes But it had been dark for a long time for the Netherlands against Turkey. Not only were they behind when there were 20 minutes left in the game. Turkey had dominated, hit the post and came close to doubling the lead. Then it turned around in four minutes. – The comeback showed a lot of determination to turn it around and go to the semi-finals. We had to dig deep, but I am very proud of the guys, says Virgil van Dijk to news. – What does it mean to you after criticism from your home country? – Criticism is part of life. We have to deal with it and it’s going well. People shouldn’t take it for granted, at least we don’t. Now it’s time to recover and get back to our best, says van Dijk. Photo: Ebrahim Noroozi / AP When Stefan de Vrij first scored 1-1 after 71 minutes, something happened to the Netherlands. And four minutes later there was a wild atmosphere among Dutch players, managers and fans in the stands. Then Cody Gakpo cheered for 2-1 and then it completely took off among the orange. – This was a different performance, because we had to show mentality after being behind. It was very tough, but it shows our mentality and how much we want to win, says Narthan Aké after the intense match. And the Turks had every reason to despair when the referee finally blew the match off. – It is not possible to demand more from any team. I feel sorry for them. They do everything they can, says news expert Bengt Eriksen after the match. Designates European Championship favorite After the intense showdown, the Netherlands now sail up as the news expert’s European Championship favourite. – It could quickly become the Netherlands, because they have more to go on than today. I have the Netherlands as number one, France as number two, says Eriksen and basically gives the favorite stamp like this. – They come back in a match that looked difficult. The Romania game was a show. And it wasn’t exactly an exhibition match of the team they will face in the next match, says Eriksen about England, who await in the semi-finals. Photo: Markus Schreiber / AP Double mistake It seemed for a long time that the mistake of the Dutch star Denzel Dumfries would send the Dutch out of the EC. – Dumfries must never let that ball bounce inside their own 16-metre area. He must take it before it bounces, was the clear verdict from news expert Bengt Eriksen after 35 minutes. The only problem was that the Dutch star player only realized the mistake when he threw his arms out in frustration, when the referee pointed to the corner flag. He had screened the ball out in a controlled manner. The only problem was that he hadn’t realized that the ball had hit a Dutch player first. Dumfries’ mistake in the match between the Netherlands and Turkey led to scoring in favor of Turkey. See it here! And when the cheers went up among Turkish fans after Samet Akaydin’s 1-0 goal from the corner that followed, it was clear that Dumfries had once again become central. Photo: JOHN MACDOUGALL / AFP Because when the Turks lined up to put the ball in the goal, Dumfries stood between the Turks and the goal. And he probably shouldn’t have stood there either. Photo: JAVIER SORIANO / AFP – Presumably it would have been offside if Dumfries had been further out, says TV 2 expert Simen Stamsø Møller about the goal. But then the Netherlands had also lived dangerously for quite some time. And it continued. – The Netherlands are rattled, said the former football star Chris Sutton on the BBC, before the game turned. Published 06.07.2024, at 22.54 Updated 06.07.2024, at 23.56
ttn-69
– Everything for me – Football European Championship 2024
