Matthijs de Ligt was deeply dissatisfied with his performance against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday, and his effort did little to improve in Tuesday’s 2-2 draw with Germany.
The Manchester United defender criticized his weekend failed to make amends in the subsequent match.
Despite receiving another opportunity from manager Ronald Koeman, De Ligt inadvertently contributed to Germany’s opening goal in the first half.
With the Netherlands leading 1-0, De Ligt lost possession in his own half, allowing Deniz Undav to score and equalize.
He also struggled during Germany’s second goal, leaving his team trailing 2-1 at halftime.
Captain Virgil van Dijk expressed his frustration with Matthijs de Ligt, after the Manchester United defender made an error that led to a goal in the 2-2 draw between the Netherlands and Germany in the Nations League.
During the match between the Netherlands and Germany in the Nations League , captain Virgil van Dijk could not hide his anger with teammate Matthijs de Ligt after the Manchester United defender made a serious mistake that led to the home team’s loss. This incident once again raised questions about De Ligt’s form and position in the Dutch squad.
The match started well for the home side when AC Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders opened the scoring in the second minute. However, the joy was short-lived when De Ligt made a serious mistake in developing the ball from the back. His pass was blocked, giving the German team a chance to quickly counter-attack. Former Brighton striker Denis Undav did not miss this opportunity and scored the equalizer for the visitors.
Van Dijk’s reaction to the goal was fierce. He punched the ground in frustration and gestured towards De Ligt, clearly showing his dissatisfaction with his teammate’s performance. This situation further increased the pressure on De Ligt, who has been criticized recently for his inconsistent form.
Coach Ronald Koeman also appeared to have lost patience with De Ligt, replacing him with Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke just after half-time, with the Netherlands trailing 2-1 after Joshua Kimmich’s goal.
After the match, Van Dijk had some frank comments about De Ligt’s mistake: “This is football. You have to learn from this. It was just a moment, but at the highest level, you will be punished for it.”
