Van Dijk insists Netherlands' game plan 'worked' despite penalty exit against Morocco

Virgil van Dijk sparked a backlash on social media after insisting the Netherlands’ game plan had “worked” against Morocco, minutes after the Dutch were eliminated on penalties at the World Cup Round of 32. The sides drew 1-1 after 90 minutes, with Issa Diop’s stoppage-time equaliser cancelling out Cody Gakpo’s second-half opener and forcing extra time. Ronald Koeman’s side then missed three spot-kicks in the shootout to exit a tournament they had been expected to navigate deep into.

Speaking post-match, Van Dijk acknowledged the difficulty of an immediate analysis but was notably upbeat about the Netherlands’ defensive structure. “I think we were well organised defensively. They basically couldn’t find the open man between the lines. So the game plan worked, of course,” the Liverpool captain said. He added that the Netherlands had trained specifically on their approach for two days and pointed to the broader trend of major nations sitting deep at this World Cup.

The statistics told a more uncomfortable story. The Netherlands finished with an xG of just 0.24 compared to Morocco’s 1.4, and Koeman’s side surrendered almost double the number of efforts on goal. In the second half, the Dutch held just 21 per cent of possession.

Fans were quick to push back. “Yes Virgil, gameplan succeeded greatly! Managed to get a draw after parking the bus for 90 minutes, conceding after going 1-0 up and then missing 3 pens. Good process!” wrote one supporter. Another asked pointedly: “21% possession in the 2nd half, was that the gameplan?” A third was more blunt: “You can say anything but not that the game plan worked.”

Morocco, who reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, will now face Canada for a place in the quarter-finals in Houston.