Despite a disjointed effort, the Ronald Koeman-led Dutch squad placed third in Group D. Donyell Malen’s own goal handed Ralf Rangnick’s well-trained Austrian squad the lead just six minutes into the match.

Although Cody Gakpo’s goal after halftime made it an exciting match that ultimately went against the Netherlands, Memphis Depay’s goal later in the game tied Romano Schmid’s goal for Austria.

Marcel Sabitzer’s late goal for Austria sealed the match and awarded them first place in the group after France and Poland drew. Van Dijk’s defenders took a lot of flak, especially for his involvement in letting Sabitzer’s game-winning goal go through.

PictureThe midfielder for Borussia Dortmund took advantage of his mismatch with the defending line to smash the ball past custodian Bart Verbruggen and into the net. After the game, Van Dijk expressed his sadness by saying, “I don’t have an explanation for this performance.”

Van Dijk’s bland remarks were criticised almost immediately following the game, with former Netherlands player Van der Vaart taking particular offence at them.

“We played the way Virgil van Dijk just talked,” declared the Ajax emblem.

“We had to watch a humiliating performance! I want to see some feeling from the captain of our country!

Van der Vaart’s opinions were shared by the renowned Marco Van Basten. According to the former striker from the Dutch generation that won the 1988 European Championship, “Virgil van Dijk has to show more leadership.” He is our team’s captain, the guy in command, and its main figurehead. I had previously criticised him, but regrettably, nothing altered. The fact that I have to say the same thing repeatedly irritates me.

After suffering a 2-3 loss, the Netherlands fell to third position in Group D. They will take against one of the top teams from Groups B, C, and E in the 1/8 round. The Netherlands will have very little chance of advancing if they are drawn to play Spain, England, or Belgium straight away in the next round.

“I can recite quite a few mistakes,” Koeman exclaimed after the match.

We missed a lot of balls, performed poor defence, lacked concentration and intensity, and had a poor start. Because they were out of position and ran a lot, the players were unable to control the game.

Given his poor performance against Austria, Koeman’s future is in doubt because his contract expires after the 2026 World Cup. The 61-year-old coach feels that talking about his future at this time is improper, even if he accepts his responsibilities. Koeman believes that the Dutch team is capable of competing better after the first round.

Meanwhile, Austria won Group D by shocking everyone by defeating France and the Netherlands. Austria’s next opponent in Group F might be Türkiye, the Czech Republic, or Georgia, the second-place team. Due to their courageous and passionate performance against the Netherlands, coach Ralf Rangnick credited Austria for taking home the trophy. Former midfielder Sebastian Prodl believes Austria may hope to go to the European Championship quarterfinals for the first time.