The Ronald Koeman-managed Dutch team finished third in Group D despite a disorganised performance. Just six minutes into the game, Donyell Malen’s own goal gave Ralf Rangnick’s well-trained Austrian team the lead.
Although Memphis Depay’s goal later in the game equalised Romano Schmid’s goal for Austria, Cody Gakpo’s goal after halftime made it a thrilling contest that ultimately went against the Netherlands.
After France and Poland drew, Marcel Sabitzer’s late goal for Austria secured the deal and gave them top spot in the group. Van Dijk’s defence came under heavy criticism, particularly for his role in allowing Sabitzer’s game-winning goal to pass through.
His mismatch with the defensive line allowed the Borussia Dortmund midfielder to slam the ball into the net past goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. Van Dijk seemed dejected after the game and said, “I don’t have an explanation for this performance.”
After the game, Van Dijk’s blah statements received criticism almost away, with former Netherlands star Van der Vaart taking particular issue with them.
The Ajax icon said, “We played the way Virgil van Dijk just talked!”
“We were forced to see an embarrassing performance! I desire some emotion from our nation’s captain!
Legendary Marco Van Basten agreed with Van der Vaart’s viewpoints. “Virgil van Dijk has to show more leadership,” stated the former striker from the Dutch generation that won the 1988 European Championship. He is the captain of our team, the man in charge, and the team’s major leader. I had criticised him previously, but sadly, nothing changed. I find it annoying that I have to say the same thing over and over.
The Netherlands lost 2-3 and dropped to third place in Group D. In the 1/8 round, they will play one of the best teams from Groups B, C, and E. The likelihood that the Netherlands will play Spain, England, or Belgium right away in the following round is very strong, which will severely limit their prospects of moving on.
“I can rattle off a good number of errors,” Koeman yelled following the game.
“We had a bad start, played bad defence, lacked focus and pressure, and lost the ball a lot. The players were unable to manage the game since they ran a lot but were out of position.
With a contract that expires after the 2026 World Cup, Koeman’s future is uncertain in light of his subpar performance against Austria. Although the 61-year-old coach acknowledges his responsibility, he feels that discussing his future at this moment is inappropriate. According to Koeman, the Netherlands has a squad strong enough to compete better after the first round.
Austria, meanwhile, stunned everyone by defeating the Netherlands and France to win Group D. In the upcoming round, Austria will play either Türkiye, Czech Republic, or Georgia, the second team from Group F. Coach Ralf Rangnick gave Austria credit for winning the trophy because of their valiant and enthusiastic effort against the Netherlands. Sebastian Prodl, a former midfield player, thinks Austria can hope to make it to the quarterfinals of the European Championship for the first time.