,,A first penalty series like this at a World Cup is always interesting”, says Wijffels after Japan-Croatia. ,,You can see all those keepers very clearly jumping towards the ball with one foot on the line. Livakovic of Croatia did well, but it seemed that the Japanese were completely stiff with nerves. We are sitting with Andries Noppert today, so I will ask what he paid attention to in that penalty shootout.”
The Dutch meanwhile increasingly believes in Louis van Gaal’s mission. Wijffels sees the strength of the team in the vulnerability of the national coach. ,,The players of Orange have seen him at his most vulnerable and at his strongest. He has been very open about his illness. He was in a wheelchair or with a catheter at training. He went to the hospital overnight for radiation treatments and was back on the field the next morning. That is an extra strength among this Orange team. You can see that compassion among the players and staff.”