Virgil van Dijk storms off after Netherlands humbling as Liverpool star fumes at defeat

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk was furious after losing 3-2 against Austria at Euro 2024 in a result that condemned the Netherlands to a shock third-place finish in Group D.

In the final game of the group stages, the Netherlands fought back twice as it pushed for victory, but suffered an unexpected defeat. An own goal by Donyell Malen gave Austria the lead before Cody Gakpo equalized, and the Netherlands tied the game once more after Memphis canceled out Romano Schmid 15 minutes after he had restored the lead.

Marcel Sabitzer became the hero for Austria with an 80th-minute winner, and a shock result in the other Group D game meant that the Netherlands missed the opportunity to finish top as France settled for a 1-1 draw with Poland. Austria topped the group ahead of France, the Netherlands, and Poland, and Van Dijk was frustrated with himself, and the team's performance.

After the game, the Netherlands captain refused to speak with the media and strolled past Manchester City defender Nathan Ake, who gave his time to reporters. The Netherlands will still progress due to being one of the top third-place finishers and remain on the same side of the bracket as they would have done with a win.

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It was a poor performance from the Netherlands captain, who lost possession five times against Austria. Van Dijk also made no tackles or interceptions and won zero duels on the ground. He did win four in the air, however.

The Netherlands has been average at Euro 2024 so far, winning one, drawing one, and losing one through three group games. They've also got a neutral goal differential after scoring four and conceding the same number across games against Poland, France, and Austria.

It's not just the Netherlands who have underperformed, as France, England, Italy, Croatia, and Belgium are all nations that have been below par. Only host nation Germany, along with Spain, and Portugal have looked threatening thus far, and Austria is currently the overachievers.

The Netherlands is on the nicer side of the knockout bracket, evading Germany, Portugal, and Spain. If they can sort out their issues before the next phase begins on Saturday then they could be in with a chance of progressing far, but former Netherlands icon Rafael van der Vaart sent a brutal wakeup call to Van Dijk.

"We just had to watch a disgraceful performance! I want the captain from our country to show some PASSION!" He said on the Netherlands TV channel NOS. Former Liverpool duo Stephen Warnock and Danny Murphy also criticized Van Dijk and the Netherlands during their 3-2 defeat to Austria, especially after Sabitzer scored the eventual match-winner.

"The Dutch just don't learn at all. Virgil van Dijk is far too deep, he plays Marcel Sabitzer on.," Warnock said. "They are too easy to play against the Dutch," Murphy added.