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Netherlands fans have blasted Liverpool superstar Virgil van Dijk on X after his lapse in concentration led to Austria securing all three points in their Euro 2024 clash. Austria defeated the Dutch 3-2 in a thrilling clash at the Olympiastadion Berlin on Tuesday, June 25.
Ronald Koeman's men got off to a torrid start after Donyell Malen scored an own goal in the sixth minute. He was then guilty of spurning a massive chance soon after, missing the target from a good position.
The Netherlands responded well in the 47th minute through Cody Gakpo's well-executed finish. However, Austria retook the lead 12 minutes later after Romano Schmid headed the ball home following a blistering counter-attack.
Wout Weghorst came off the bench to great effect, assisting Memphis Depay in the 75th minute to make it 2-2. Just when it seemed like the Netherlands had a shot of snatching a win, Austria left them shellshocked five minutes later.
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Christoph Baumgartner played a brilliant through-ball that dissected the Netherlands' defense, finding Marcel Sabitzer in the process. Fortunately, for the latter he was played onside due to Van Dijk's poor positioning, leading to him securing all three points with an exceptional finish.
Van Dijk had a below-par outing in the Euro 2024 fixture by his high standards as he struggled to deal with his teammate's mistakes. The 32-year-old made zero tackles and also lost three duels during his 90 minutes on the pitch.
One fan reacted by posting:
"Aura is failing him. Pack it up, my Gee."
Another fan wrote:
"Such a fraud."
Other reactions can be viewed below:
"LOOK AT VAN DIJK," one fan posted.
“'Better than vidic and Ferdinand' Such clowns," another added.
"He's finished," one fan insisted.
"Van Dijk kept the whole stadium onside," another stated.
"You blaming him for covering his man? Why not blame the two people on the right side that let sabitzer in easily like a breeze ?" one fan defended Van Dijk.
"Even the greats make mistakes sometimes," another chimed in.
"We played the way Virgil van Dijk just talked!" - Van der Vaart slams the Netherlands after Euro 2024 loss to Austria
Former Dutch international Rafael van der Vaart has blasted Ronald Koeman and Co. after they suffered a 3-2 loss to Austria at Euro 2024. The Oranje have finished Group D in third place with four points and are no longer guaranteed a spot in the Round of 16 stage.
Following the game, Van Dijk spoke to the media and said (via @TheEuropeanLad):
"Very bad game. Very bad night. We started the game weak. I don't have an explanation for this performance."
As per the aforementioned source, Van der Vaart was far from impressed by the Dutch skipper's words as he said:
"We played the way Virgil van Dijk just talked! We just had to watch a disgraceful performance! I want the captain from our country to show some PASSION!"
The Netherlands had more possession than Austria, with 53 percent of the ball in their Euro 2024 fixture. However, Austria looked more industrious in attack, landing nine shots in total, with five being on target. In contrast, the Dutch mustered 11 shots, with just two being on target.
