The football coach of the Netherlands, Ronald Koeman, expressed his regret over some «details» and «luck» that Spain had in securing a spot in the semi-finals of the Nations League, a tie that was decided on penalties at Mestalla on Sunday.
«We can play with this intensity and there are still things like in Spain’s 2-1, where we unnecessarily lost the ball. We have to play like this, daring. Like Thursday’s match, it was an exciting game. Both teams did things to advance, but only one can do it. Luck has decided that Spain wins,» he said.
«There have been situations like the draw in the first leg or the red card that were decisive. I am very proud of the players because they reacted three times when they were behind on the scoreboard. Our goalkeeper was very close to stopping the penalty five times, that’s why you need that bit of luck to advance,» he added.
The ‘Oranje’ coach pointed out in a press conference that his team was eliminated with their heads held high. «There have been two fantastic matches in terms of football. There is a lot of individual talent in both teams. It is time to congratulate Spain and wish them luck in June. Unai Simón stopped two or three chances, but our goalkeeper did too. It was small details. It was not about football or the intensity of the match,» he stated.
Furthermore, Koeman was asked about the talent that Spain had accumulated, with Pedri coming off the bench. «Having a player like him on the bench and being able to bring him on in the second half is very lucky. He makes a difference in his game. We also have very good players on the bench,» he noted.
«Both are very good players (Nico and Lamine). You cannot stop both of them for two consecutive matches. Our wing defenders defended very well. Lamine had his moment, but overall we managed to stop them,» he added, before assessing his return to Mestalla 17 years later.
«It is a field with a lot of atmosphere. Scoring three goals against Spain on this field is very significant, usually enough to advance. It was a great night of football. People enjoyed it a lot, and this match was great for Spain but also for the Netherlands because we pushed hard,» he concluded.
FUENTE