Portugal U21 2-1 Belgium U21: Belgium has reacted furiously to the elimination at the European Championship for promises. Not necessarily because of the game, but mainly because of the arbitration. The Red Devils conceded a penalty kick against Portugal’s peers just in time.
Anger from Red Devils: “Without VAR, the arbitration no longer works”
In the event of a tie, Belgium would have advanced. Anderlecht defender Zeno Debast was penalized in the penultimate minute because he let his elbow hang down. Tiago Dantas made no mistake from eleven meters, so that Portugal eliminated the Belgians. After the final whistle, the Belgian selection stormed the arbitration. National coach Jacky Mathijssen was also furious. “You have to have a serious imagination to see a penalty in that, don’t you?” he questioned.
The national coach had a hard time accepting the elimination. “The only explanation I can find for this situation is that arbitration no longer works without VAR,” Mathijssen grumbled. “A referee should be in charge. And we saw that today: he did what he wanted.”
Due to the defeat, Young Belgium finished last in the group. Just like the Juniors, the team was therefore eliminated. “If any of the four teams deserved to go through, it was us. I want to leave my analysis at that,” concluded Mathijssen.
Van de Looi waves off with deception: “Made two mistakes this European Championship”
Erwin van de Looi said goodbye to the Dutch Juniors on Tuesday evening with a huge disappointment. The coach came to the European Championship for U21s with high expectations, but was sent home without a win after three group matches.
“This is not only a disappointment for me, but for the whole team,” Van de Looi told NOS after the draw against Georgia (1-1). “I think we had so many chances to win the game. In the end, they shot once on target. But if you don’t score enough, you go home.”
According to the trainer, it was mainly due to the missed opportunities. “That was the biggest problem, that’s for sure. The boys fought to the last moment. They did everything they could. You know that the opponent goes way back at the end. Then it becomes difficult to get through. But they tried to the last gasp,” he added.
“I don’t blame myself, we tried everything,” Van de Looi analyzed his own performance at this tournament. “We brought wingers, more people in the box, really did everything. What else can you do when you consider how we begin and how many opportunities we are given?”
However, the departing coach acknowledged that not everything was going smoothly. “We made two mistakes throughout this competition. Today as well, we unexpectedly gave Portugal the lead. That’s the tale, in my opinion. The light is still there. By scoring, we may ultimately make things simpler for ourselves,” he argued.
“I look positively at my period,” the coach continued his argument. “This is a big disappointment, that’s for sure. We wanted to become European champions. What we have achieved with the Dutch Juniors in the last four years: twice to the European Championship, gained a positive momentum in the team and created a valuable team. That’s positive. But you don’t see that after such an elimination.”
