Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk praised his side’s collectiveness after they came from behind against Turkey to reach the semi-finals of Euro 2024.
Samet Akaydin put the Turks 1-0 up in the first half, heading home from an Arda Guler cross.
It was a deserved lead for Turkey, but the Netherlands regrouped in the second half and equalised through defender Stefan De Vrij.
A few minutes later, the Dutch were ahead after Mert Muldur turned the ball into his own net with Cody Gakpo breathing down his neck.
Some last-gasp blocks and saves were on the cards in the dying minutes, with Bart Verbruggen making a particularly impressive save and Micky Van de Ven blocking a strike on the line.
And Van Dijk was delighted with his team-mates’ efforts after the match.
He said: “We became sloppy and lost the ball at dangerous moments.
🥁 Introducing your final four…
🇪🇸 Spain
🇫🇷 France
🇳🇱 Netherlands
🏴 EnglandWho wins it? 🤔#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/vkQOd2Yb0x
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) July 6, 2024
“That happened a few times – not that we gave away much.
“In the second half, you have to try to stay calm and take advantage of the opportunities that come. We did that well.
“You see how everyone reacts and works together. We did everything we could, with tackles and saves.
“Now it’s time to recover and prepare for another tough match [against England on Wednesday].”
Head coach Ronald Koeman echoed the thoughts of his captain, adding: “”It was a great performance. We started well.
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“They started defending the spaces better after the opening phase. We kept playing the same but had to go around them. Then they started to [find momentum] and got the upper hand.
“England have good players but so do we. We are in the semi-finals of the European Championship – nobody expected that. If all goes well, we will play two more games.”
The Netherlands will head to Dortmund to face England on Wednesday night for a place in the final.
