Following Holland's Euro semi-final defeat to England, Dutch boss Ronald Koeman gave an interview to ITV, giving an in-depth analysis and reflection on the match.
When asked if England deserved the win, Koeman gave a pertinent answer. He argued that in the first half, England did play much better and deserved the lead. However, in the second half, the game became more balanced and both sides had chances. Koeman pointed out that the Dutch team had problems controlling the midfield in the first half, and did not effectively restrict England's organizational ability between Bellingham and Foden, which led to a passive game. For this reason, the Dutch team had to make adjustments to add a midfielder to strengthen the control, which gradually made the game back to a 50-50 situation.
Koeman also said that in the last 20 to 25 minutes of the game, the Dutch team was probably more energetic than England, but unfortunately, England scored a crucial goal in the last minute to seal the win. For the goal conceded, Koeman did not blame bad luck, but admitted that it was a great goal and England took their chances.
Despite the disappointing result of the match, Koeman is still proud of the Dutch team's performance. He believes that the Dutch team has shown great strength and team spirit in this year's European Cup, and although tonight's match ended there, their performance was good enough. Koeman encouraged his players to keep their confidence and prepare for the coming matches.
