'Football is getting destroyed'
A fuming Ronald Koeman claimed that "football is getting destroyed" after England were handed a controversial penalty against the Netherlands.
- England got lucky with VAR
- Were handed a fortuitous penalty
- Koeman slammed the technology
The Netherlands struck first in the semi-final clash held in Dortmund with Xavi Simons opening the scoring in the seventh minute. However, controversy followed in the 18th minute when Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries was adjudged to have fouled Harry Kane in the penalty area. After a VAR review, referee Felix Zwayer awarded England a penalty, which Kane successfully converted to bring the score to 1-1.
Not only did the call seem harsh, but VAR had also missed a Bukayo Saka handball in the build-up - which if they had spotted would have quelled any opportunity of a potential penalty. Unsurprisingly, Koeman was upset with the officiating and blasted the officials after the match in a press conference.
"This is not a penalty," Koeman insisted. "His only intention was to block a shot. Harry Kane then shoots and their feet collide. Football is getting destroyed by these types of decisions by VAR. This penalty would not have been given in England. What should you do as a defender? I thought the referee whistled for a lot of silly things, but that's not why we lost."
The Dutch team had navigated a challenging path to reach the semi-finals, overcoming Romania and Turkey in the knockout stages after finishing third in their group. Koeman expressed pride in his team's performance and optimism for their future.
"There is a lot of future in this team," he said. "In general, I am very proud. I like how they gave something in every game. We started well, but England got on top in midfield and we had to change things. I thought we then were the better team, but they scored a killer goal in the 91st minute and there is no way to respond to that."
With the semi-final victory, England has advanced to the final, where they will face Spain in Berlin on Sunday. Koeman acknowledged the strength of Gareth Southgate's squad and opined that key players like Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham are "world-class" talents capable of troubling any defence and have the mettle to fire England to the championship.
"England showed good football today," he said. "Spain play more offensively and are a little better defensively, but England is in the final so they can win the Euros. Players like Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham are world-class and they can put you in trouble."
