Netherlands captain Van Dijk misses penalty and cites pressure from Argentine fans

Captain of the Dutch national team, Virgil van Dijk, 31, volunteered to lead the team in the penalty shootout against Argentina, which would decide the passage to the semifinals of the Qatar Cup.

He’s not used to the role, but he wasn’t afraid to be the first to hit. He chose a corner, kicked it, but goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez saved it.

“He got it. Good for him, bad for me, bad for us. I’m sad but unfortunately these things happen in life. We missed a few penalties, it’s like a lottery.”

The second kick, by Berghuis, also ended up in the hands of the number 23 of the South American team, who won the match 4-3.

Van Dijk, who plays for Liverpool and is considered one of the best defenders in the world, said it was difficult to deal with the pressure from the Argentine crowd, the vast majority at the Lusail stadium, especially at the time of penalty kicks.

“We couldn’t replicate a packed stadium in training, with 80,000 people booing you. Despite the pressure, I was ready, which doesn’t mean I felt good.”

The Netherlands number 4 praised the team’s power of reaction, which lost by 2-0 until the 38th minute of the second half, but managed to draw with two goals from striker Weghorst.

“We showed a lot of personality to react in the last 15 minutes and take the game into extra time. Then came the penalties and we couldn’t finish our job. But I’m very proud of everyone.”

Also leaving Qatar with a feeling of accomplishment is striker Memphis Depay, 28, who ended the World Cup with a goal scored in the round of 16.

“We are a small country, the stadium today was all blue and white [cores da Argentina]🇧🇷 We have to be proud because we always manage to go far [nas competições]🇧🇷 We will learn for the future with today”, declared the number 10, who is a Barcelona player.