Defeated and weak Oranje is completely humiliated; Ronald Koeman and Van Dijk at the forefront: 'Last international match'

Ronald Koeman has received his pay in fear. Virgil van Dijk showed that he can no longer be referred to as the class defender of days gone by. A dramatic exit at the 2026 World Cup is a fact, partly driven by very weak work from both Ronald Koeman and Virgil van Dijk, who both failed enormously in many respects.

That the Netherlands national team and penalty shootouts are not a good combination needs no further explanation after having had to leave a tournament on several occasions following penalty shootouts. It is also not that important after the very weak 120 minutes by the Netherlands national team against a much fitter, sharper, better, and more alert Morocco, that the much better team was and rightly knew how to advance to the next round.

Orange were in fact 120 minutes behind against the in every way better Morocco, which wanted to win at all costs. Of course Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands team would also like to win, but does not wish to bring out everything for that, whereas Morocco did want to.

Minute 90 cannot go without comment. The tame Virgil van Dijk finally sank through the ice and there is no choice but to have ended his last international appearance of his career. The captain saw Morocco head in the 1-1 through his weak intervention, the captain should have been able to prevent that goal.

Orange stood for going down with his weak-hearted approach by choosing a fifth defender in the form of Nathan Aké. The harried national coach said he had more confidence in a system with five than in a system with four defenders. They had trained in the days leading up to the clash with the Atlas Lions, and it felt good because Orange was more compact. In practice, it turned out that Morocco also managed to play easily through the block of five defenders. A host of chances fell to the ultra-fit team against a timid and weak, but above all tame Orange, which also sank through the ice with five defenders.

Netherlands had from minute one difficulty with the running players of Morocco, which was much more alert and dangerous. The Netherlands national team, just like in Germany in the summer of 2024, once again failed to show how it would like to present itself on the highest stage, something that the cowardly Koeman may be blamed for once again.

Once or twice, Van Dijk showed what it means to defend by stepping in with a manly intervention in the next outbreak from the much stronger opponent when the score was 1-0, but in added time the captain looked very weak at Diop’s 1-1. Nothing—no urgency, no alertness, and above all no coverage—so the equalizer could be easily tapped in. The Netherlands national team thus drops hard below the threshold due to the early exit from the world stage.

Ronald Koeman and Virgil van Dijk can personally take credit for this disappointing exit because it had absolutely nothing to do with what both of these men have brought to the football nation that is the Netherlands at this World Cup. Let the Netherlands - Morocco match therefore also be the last international for both Ronald Koeman and Virgil van Dijk.