Netherlands coach unhappy with penalty against his team, but still gives credit to England
Head coach Netherlands national team Ronald Koeman commented on the defeat from England in the semi-finals Euro 2024 (1:2), and also shared his prediction for the final.
“In my opinion, the penalty should not have been awarded. He kicked the ball and the boots touched. I think we can’t play normal football and it’s because of VAR. It’s really ruining football.”
Despite criticism of the technology, the 61-year-old specialist gives credit to his rival:
“I thought England played some great football in the first half when they were 1-0 down.”
“This is football. If you watch all the games of the Spanish team, maybe they play more attacking, with strong flanks and possession of the ball, and you need to stop that. But England are in the final and have the opportunity to win it. Spain are playing at a high level, but England can stop them. Why not?” Koeman concluded.
Let’s recall that Oranje quickly took the lead thanks to a great strike by Xavi Simons, but the Englishmen soon equalized. Harry Kane took a shot, Denzel Dumfries tried to prevent it. As a result, the Englishman’s foot reached the ball a split second too late, and the opponent’s shot hit his leg. Referee Felix Zwayer initially did not react to the incident, but after a VAR prompt, he changed his decision and awarded a penalty.
Kane himself equalised. England dominated before the break and could have scored more times. And as extra time approached, Gareth Southgate’s substitutions worked: Ollie Watkins took advantage of a pass from Cole Palmer to send the Three Lions into their second successive European final.
In the final, England will play Spain, which defeated France (2:1) the day before. The decisive match of the 2024 European Championship will be held on July 14 at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. The starting whistle will sound at 22:00 Kyiv time.
Source: Sportarena
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