Virgil van Dijk does not want any negativity after a difficult match against Ireland: ‘It was done anyway’ | Dutch football

“Yes, this is a special moment,” said a happy Van Dijk at the camera NOS. “We shouldn’t make it so easy. We are qualified and should be proud. I have seen other countries cheer even more enthusiastically. It’s great that we can go to the European Championships.”

The defender had no need for negativity for a moment. “We did it after all those injuries. Hopefully we will get all the players fit before the summer and we can prepare for a great tournament. Then I also think it can be a very nice European Championship.”

Van Dijk also knows better than anyone what it is like not to qualify. The first two qualifications in which he joined the Dutch team, the Netherlands missed out on the 2016 European Championship and the 2018 World Cup. “You don’t want to experience that,” he says. “We really fought well in this qualification as a team. We showed a lot of resilience in the away games against Ireland and Greece. That bodes well in my opinion.”

Tijjani Reijnders is also looking forward to the upcoming European Championships in Germany. The 25-year-old midfielder from AC Milan watched the previous European final tournament at home. “Just with the family,” he said after the win over Ireland. “You already saw it last year with the World Cup, what energy that can bring to the Netherlands with the fans. That will be no different with the European Championship.”

Reijnders played in the starting line-up for the Dutch team during the previous international match in October and now seems certain of his place. The former AZ player played against Ireland with Jerdy Schouten next to him. Reijnders was one of the few players who achieved a passing grade, but failed to score.

The midfielder had the ball in the early stages of the second half, but shot against the post. “Next time I’ll shoot it in one shot,” he said. “It was good defensively, Ireland was not really dangerous.”