Virgil van Dijk, captain of the Netherlands and third captain of Liverpool, He said this Wednesday that his team is “three games away from glory”. The first, against Leo Messi’s Argentina this Friday in the quarterfinals of the World Cup in Qatar-2022. The Dutch, along with Barcelona players Frenkie de Jong and Memphis Depay, are looking for their first world title.
In a press conference, Van Dijk and Andries Noppert, goalkeeper of the Netherlands, they discussed this exciting quarterfinal tie against the albiceleste. Two teams with many shared World Cups stories.
They go Dijk manifested: “We will give everything on the field. We have this hungry and this dream (…) This is our opportunity”. Meanwhile, Noppert said he has “one goal: to win the world title, we must fight for that and keep moving forward.” The goalkeeper added: “Having Messi as an opponent when he is the pillar of my team when I play. FIFA + (the video game) will be different”.
For Van Dijk, it’s not about avenging previous defeats against Argentina, especially in the semifinals of the 2014 World Cup (0-0 and then 2-4 on penalties for the albiceleste) or the 1978 World Cup final (3-1 for Argentina), It was in full military dictatorship in that South American country.
“The past doesn’t add any particular pressure. I feel proud and happy to be with the boys, to be able to reach the semifinals and get closer to a dream for the Netherlands”, said the ‘oranje’ captain. “We just want to show our qualities, our unity, our team spirit and development”.
“I’m not worried but yes cautious, knowing what Argentina brings”, the Liverpool defender also commented. “This is a good team with good players. We have to be good at all levels, prepare well and be ready for this match.”
And more specifically stop seven-time Ballon d’Or Leo Messi, “one of the best players of our time” with Cristiano Ronaldo, van Dijk said.
“We didn’t specifically prepare for it.but to beat Argentina, knowing the role he has had in their success over the years,” concluded the 31-year-old.
Louis van Gaal’s Netherlands eliminated the United States (3-1) in the round of 16, after finishing first in Group A with two wins and a draw.
Argentina, first in Group C with two wins and a surprise loss against Saudi Arabia (1-2) at the start, defeated Australia (2-1) in the round of 16.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
