Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk believes his Netherlands side took a 'big hit' in their 4-0 to France.
The Netherlands were hammered at the Stade de France as they began their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign in the worst possible fashion. The match was Ronald Koeman's first in his second spell as Dutch boss.
It was an evening which saw Kylian Mbappe prove his class once again, scoring two of his team's goals with Antoine Griezmann and Dayot Upamecano completing the rout. Fellow Reds defender Ibrahima Konate completed the full 90 minutes for Didier Deschamps’ side.
BLOOD RED: Jurgen Klopp cannot afford training camp repeat as Liverpool face last chance
READ MORE: Five things spotted in Liverpool training as surprise figure appears but four Legends missing
Holland’s preparation for the game was undoubtedly less than ideal after five players, including Cody Gakpo, were sent home due to a flu virus, but the result was still a disappointing one for Van Dijk, who admitted post-match that a poor start gave his side a mountain to climb.
He said: “If you are 2-0 down after seven minutes, it will be a hell of a job. It's very bad how we start here. Then you'll be chasing the facts all evening.
“We will definitely have to look at this. It is difficult to analyse so soon after the game, but after seven minutes it is already done.
"I don't know if it's the worst international match I've had. It sure is a big hit. We tried to recover after that bad start, but we didn't succeed.
"We had way too many ball losses and were too weak in the duels. France punishes that immediately.”
While also speaking post-match, former Everton boss Koeman has slammed his Dutch side for a 'poor' showing.
“We showed very little in this game', he said. “I did not expect such a gap. It's not the team I had in mind to line up, but you know the circumstances. I don't want to make excuses for this poor performance.
“We should have been much more aggressive and should have made fewer mistakes. There was nothing very positive. We showed major shortcomings in all areas of the game.”
READ NEXT:
- Jude Bellingham and the 17 other players linked with Liverpool this summer
- Liverpool final position, top four and title winner predicted in Premier League shock
- How to watch Liverpool Legends vs Celtic Legends - full squad, who are the managers, stream info
- Latest Liverpool injury news ahead of Man City with Darwin Nunez concern and Luis Diaz hope
- Mbappe causes night to forget for Van Dijk as seven Liverpool stars earn minutes
