The Netherlands lost to Morocco on penalties in the FIFA World Cup round of 16. van Hecke was interviewed by Dutch media outlet NOS after the match.

This is your first FIFA World Cup. You must be exhausted now. It was an incredibly demanding match, played at a relentless pace and with great physical intensity. How did you experience it?

It was a truly intense match. We are deeply disappointed that we couldn't win and advance. I gave everything I had, but in the end, it wasn't enough. I don't think there is a more bitter result than this. They equalized 1-1 in injury time, and then we lost in the penalty shootout. It is truly painful.

Early in the match, you took some hard hits. I can see blood in your hair. The physicality was clearly intense, wasn’t it?

It was just normal physical contact; we fought hard throughout. But none of that matters now—we lost. This is very difficult for the whole country and for our team. I can imagine how the fans feel, because I myself am completely drained. I'm sorry we couldn't advance.

Gakpo's opening goal gave you the start you had hoped for. The whole team celebrated together; it was a beautiful moment.

Yes. I felt we controlled the game until the very end, right up until injury time. I truly believed we could hold on to the lead and advance. But then they scored. Even after that, I thought we still had a chance, but our physical condition had declined significantly. That is how penalty shootouts work—fortune can favor either side, and this time it favored Morocco.

You've just come out of the locker room. Was there much discussion?

No, it was very quiet—really very quiet. Everyone was exhausted. There is not much to say now because everyone had one dream: to win the World Cup, or at least advance to the next round. Losing a match in this way is genuinely painful, and this feeling will stay with us for a long time.

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