Vivianne Miedema is completely through it after the elimination of the Orange at the European Championship in England. The star player of the Netherlands played in the lost quarterfinal against France (1-0) for the first time after a corona infection and was unable to help the defending champion to the next round.
“I am empty and want to go home,” said a crying Miedema after the game in Rotherham, where the Orange only lost to the much stronger France after an extension due to a penalty from Ève Périsset. “It’s a waste.”
Miedema became emotional when she spoke about her corona infection. As a result, she was forced to miss the group matches against Portugal (3-2) and Switzerland (4-1). The star player of Orange returned to training only three days before the game against France. She was sent off in her hotel room in Worsley for a total of eight days.
“My whole tournament just sucked,” said the candid all-time top scorer in the Netherlands. “I can’t get around it and say it no other way. I don’t know how I was on the field for 120 minutes today.”
“I felt very bad. Otherwise I would not have tested and I would have returned sooner. It just sucked. I trained three times and tried to give everything today. Football was not always great, we all know that But I think I can be very proud of myself that I was able to give something.”
Vivianne Miedema puts her hands in front of her eyes after the elimination of the Orange squad.
Vivianne Miedema puts her hands in front of her eyes after the elimination of the Orange squad. Photo: Getty Images
‘Haven’t had a moment’
Miedema acknowledged that the Orange team barely played against France offensively. In 120 minutes, the team of national coach Mark Parsons only shot on target once and the Netherlands never claimed a goal. It was thanks to stars Daphne van Domselaar and Stefanie van der Gragt that France only scored in the 102nd minute.
“I think we defended well at times today,” said Miedema. “I don’t know how Stefanie and Daphne kept the ball out. It’s a shame you didn’t have one moment in the end. Still, I’m proud of the team.”
According to Miedema, the Netherlands is in good shape, despite the fact that the defending champion was already eliminated in the quarter-finals of the European Championship. “I am proud of the young girls and I think that we can look to the future with great courage and hope. We first have to recover at home.”