Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal hailed the efforts of his squad in fighting back from two goals down to force their World Cup quarter-final against Argentina into a penalty shootout even though their ultimate exit proved to be painful.
The Dutch staged a dramatic comeback with two late goals to level their match 2-2 after the 90 minutes and take the last-eight encounter at the Lusail Stadium into extra time, where the scoreline stayed the same until the final whistle.
But they squandered their first two penalties and went on to lose the shootout 4-3.
“I had asked the players to train penalties at their club and they did that. It was a fantastic achievement to come back from 0-2 down to 2-2 but then to lose on penalties is tough,” he said.
“I can’t blame myself, I think, we prepared everything. My players fought to the end and they are dead in the changing room.
“They gave everything and I’m really proud, we didn’t lose in 20 matches,” Van Gaal said of his record in his third spell as Dutch coach after taking over in September last year.
He now leaves at the end of his contract.
“In the shootout we missed the first two penalties and that put pressure on the rest of the penalty takers. It is still a lottery and luckily for them (Argentina) they won,” he added.
The Dutch did not start the game well, the 71-year-old coach admitted. “The problem is we were not able to find free man with the ball. I tried to solve it at halftime and we then changed our tactics three times in the second half.
“We fought unbelievably hard to come back from a 2-0 deficit against a powerful Argentina who can defend very well.”
Van Gaal also felt the Dutch lost initiative in extra time but said this was “logical” due to fatigue.
“In the second half we ran a lot more than Argentina and there were a few players on their last legs. We thought we’d win on penalties because of the training we’ve done.”
More Stories
Djokovic Edges Closer To Grand Slam Record With Spot In Last Eight
Hamilton Hails ‘Mega Job’ By Mercedes, Focused On Next Year
Verstappen Wins In Spain To Continue Red Bull Sweep
Benzema Leaves Real Madrid After 14 Years At Club
Milan Say Ibrahimovic Will Not Extend Contract
Tongue Takes Five Wickets As England Crush Ireland
Ten Hag’s United “Broken” After FA Cup Final Loss To Manchester City
Jabeur Upset With Fans Reselling Tickets Due To Women’s Match In Night Session
Mbappe Targets Ligue 1 Scoring Record With PSG Next Season
Swiatek No Fan Of ‘Iga’s Bakery’ Memes After Serving Up Another Double Bagel
Messi To Leave PSG At End Of Season After Two Years At The Club
Man City Edge Closer To Treble After FA Cup Final Win Over Manchester United