louis van gaal, the Netherlands coach, regretted the KO against Argentina in the penalty kicks after the 2-2 draw: “We have been training penalties all year and, despite everything, we failed. It’s embarrassing. As a coach I want to control everything. That’s why I asked the players to take penalties at their club and all of them. But you miss two and you don’t win anymore. You can’t beat a streak like that.”
The coach was also asked about the work of the Spanish referee Mateu Lahoz, heavily criticized Leo Messi: “There were questionable decisions but we didn’t lose because of the referee”.
He explained about the match “I changed two players. We had possession and when we got it we couldn’t find the free man and I tried to replace him at half-time. Argentina had to adapt their system and we benefited . We struggled in the second half to try to come back from 0-2 with a rival like Argentina pressing hard”.
Van Gaal He continued: “We tied and went to penalties and it’s the second time with this coach that he lost on penalties. That’s why I asked the players to train on penalties because he had experience from two World Cups ago. Even so, it did’ won’t happen and I don’t blame the players. Losing on penalties is very unlucky”.
“In Brazil 2014 -he added- I had the impression that we would win that game. This time there was no one to blame as they fought to the end. They left everything they had. We have won a lot and I have really enjoyed this season. It’s very painful to see how we were eliminated because I tried everything to avoid this situation.”
“I will not continue with the national team because it is only for this season. This is my last game. I have played twenty games and I have not lost anything. You can see it on google. It was a great experience , I chose young people to learn and I continued with the same group of players until I got here. I see this stage as very positive. Now I don’t feel that”, he said Van Gaal that he will not continue as a selector.
The orange coach summed up the match: “We ran more than the Argentines in the second half but there were tired players. In these cases we wanted to reach the end. We thought we would win, we tried we take the penalties. If you lose by two goals and you are able to equalize it, in extra time sometimes it is not easy to maintain the situation”.
“We conceded a penalty that was very easily given away. Then, a goal with a very good pass Messi. Then we showed our football and we had a height advantage with the forwards. It went well for us and we got the draw. And Argentina too. They clearly played the minutes and didn’t always add the extra time. But in the end, the result is fair. Then we haven’t given a chance. We got past the first two penalties and it’s already very complicated. It was a matter of luck,” he insisted. Van Gaal.
“What I’m leaving behind is a great group. On a personal and football level it’s a very united team with a strong team spirit and good football. I’ve been a coach for twenty games and we don’t have losing. It’s for a reason. We played with normal power and we got rid of some”, concluded the Dutch coach.
For his part, the defender Nathan Ake He explained that “emotionally it’s very hard. We fought and gave everything. In the end it’s a lottery. It hurts to lose like that. I think we can leave this World Cup with our heads held high.”
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
