Virgil van Dijk hit referee Felix Zwayer after Netherlands suffered a painful loss to England at the Euro 2024 semi-finals.
A controversial penalty awarded to the Three Lions in the first half was labeled a “disgraceful” decision by Gary Neville at half-time.
And Van Dijk was upset at full time after Ollie Watkins‘ winner in the last minute when Zwayer was nowhere to be found after the final whistle.
“Obviously throughout the tournament we have seen many sides of our team,” Van Dijk told Be In Sports. “Good teams in offensive and defensive form, but also a bad team against Austria, today was a good game, for several reasons, with and without the ball, an intense game.
They created good moments, so did we. Conceding a goal in the last minute is difficult to accept. Especially when it comes to a knockout semi-final and that destroyed our dreams.
“I don’t know what to say, I don’t know if I should say anything about this, I said it to our Dutch media, it says everything that the referee came in quickly after the game, he didn’t have time to shake his hand.
“The game is over and we lost, it’s hard to take it. At certain times, it’s obvious that it should have gone our way. Did not happen. “Whatever the outcome, it’s difficult, it’s difficult to accomplish. We had a big dream, we thought we could achieve it here.
“I don’t know, they keep changing certain things that can have a big impact. Let them come to you and explain certain moments, how we have to do it, that could be something. look at ourselves.”