Virgil van Dijk ponders "worst international match" after France humiliation

25 March 2023 , 08:20

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Virgil van Dijk and the Netherlands had no answers on Friday night

Virgil van Dijk admits being thumped by France is a "big hit" as the Liverpool defender was part of a defence that conceded four in Paris.

The Netherlands were cut apart by their opponents as they began their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign in the worst possible fashion a humiliating 4-0 defeat. The World Cup runners-up put that disappointment behind them to score twice in the first seven minutes, with Van Dijk claiming the game was "already done" by that point.

He played in a backline that also featured Manchester City's Nathan Ake and former Manchester United target Jurrien Timber, but they were powerless to stop Kylian Mbappe and co. Van Dijk has faced criticism this year for some of his performances and he gave a brutal assessment of his own team's efforts.

He said: “If you are 2-0 down after seven minutes, it will be a hell of a job. It's very bad how we start here. Then you'll be chasing the facts all evening. We will definitely have to look at this. It is difficult to analyse so soon after the game, but after seven minutes it is already done.

"I don't know if it's the worst international match I've had. It sure is a big hit. We tried to recover after that bad start, but we didn't succeed. We had way too many ball losses and were too weak in the duels. France punishes that immediately"

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Ronald Koeman, who succeeded Louis van Gaal after the World Cup, must now pick up the broken pieces ahead of their clash with European minnows Gibraltar in a matter of days. The former Barcelona boss conceded that lapses in defence ultimately cost them at the Stade de France.

The Dutch conceded two within the opening seven minutes

He said: "What hurts is that the first and fourth goals came from defensive errors, and, of course, it's also down to the quality of MbappE. We had identified that we had to be very careful about these plays, and we did not pay enough attention. France are a very strong team. They are complete, very physical, fast, especially in attack, and possess world-class players in all sectors. And we are not there yet."

The Netherlands were knocked out of the World Cup by eventual winners Argentina. They made it to the last eight before being undone in a penalty shootout, with Van Dijk among those to miss from 12 yards, but they appear to have taken a step backwards since then.

“It is a grave atmosphere in the dressing room. No one really knows what to say. It's more disbelief. I think everyone should look in the mirror. I think that the images will be looked at tomorrow and that we will be confronted with the facts," claim Atalanta star Marten de Roon.

Samuel Meade