Following the UEFA Nations League Group A Matchday 3, where the Netherlands drew 2-2 with Greece away from home, Dutch defender Dumfries was interviewed by ESPN.

Did you feel a bit chaotic at the venue, even until now?

Haha, I see you felt the same way. (laughs) Of course not... it was rather noisy and chaotic, yes.

You just went over and spoke to them.

Their attitude was very polite. I think you were also trying to do a post-match interview, and it must feel uncomfortable when someone is shouting loudly and disrupting the rhythm, right?

I think it's good you reminded them. But back to the match itself: the performance wasn't always smooth and beautiful.

No, not at all like we planned. Our first-half performance was well below standard, and the goals we conceded shouldn't have happened. I have to take responsibility for the first goal we conceded, and Jurriën Timber and I share that responsibility. In that situation, there needs to be silent understanding and coordination between us, but we didn't execute it well, and that's a mistake we shouldn't have made.

Was it really a defensive coordination issue? Was it being too eager to press, or what was the reason?

No, it was actually the most basic defensive principle: one person presses forward to challenge, and the other drops back to cover. At that moment, there was simply a communication failure. We should never have made such a mistake. But we all know it ourselves. Our first-half performance was truly below standard, but fortunately, we adapted very well in the second half.

Was part of the reason for the first-half performance also a lack of winning mentality, or perhaps the "fighting spirit and passion" that everyone discussed this week?

I don't think so. I think everyone has a strong desire to win, and everyone's mindset and attitude are correct. But in football, sometimes it's hard to explain why things happen the way they do. Of course, you can always point out that we shouldn't have made such mistakes.

This isn't the first time it's happened, is it?

Indeed, it's not the first time, but I think this also happens to other national teams. Of course, I don't want to shift blame to others; I mean... that's football, and these kinds of things can't always be avoided. Sometimes in the first half, you're always one step behind, and you can't help but think: "Damn, the defensive line is getting pushed back further, and the opponent has scored two goals." It's very difficult to turn things around immediately in the first half.

But in the second half, you managed to turn it around. Was that also because of the substitutions?

Of course, the substitutes brought plenty of physical energy, and we also made some tactical adjustments to our positioning and rotation on the field. However, this absolutely doesn't mean the teammates who played in the first half performed poorly; rather, our entire team as a whole fell below standard in the first half. Fortunately, at halftime, everyone had time for quiet reflection, and we could regroup in the second half. In the first half, you could clearly feel the team's inability to turn things around, and that feeling was really uncomfortable. But as you saw, we responded very positively in the second half.

Have you ever experienced a situation where you scored two goals in one match, but neither was credited in the post-match statistics?

I think so. I can't remember exactly when, but my first goal today should absolutely have counted. I've discussed it with several people. The opponent stopped the ball, and that's already a completely new phase of attack and defense. The ball was fully under their control; they could have kicked it away with force, but they didn't, and then I took it and scored. That's absolutely an indisputable goal, and it's too unfair to disallow it.

Yes, the rule does state that: if a player in an offside position—you in this case—gains possession after the opponent deliberately plays the ball and actively engages with it, then the offside advantage in this scenario no longer applies. And the opponent did stop the ball and take a step, which was clearly deliberate play.

Exactly! So it was a valid goal, right?

Correct.

Right, I thought so too. But at the time, the Italian referee... I even deliberately tried to argue with him in Italian, but he said...

What did he say?

He said it was a new rule. But I told him: "The opponent clearly stopped the ball and had full possession of it; they could have kicked it any way they wanted. They didn't handle it well, I took the ball and scored, which is absolutely 100% a valid goal." In the end, the goal was still disallowed, but you just have to accept it...

What about the second goal?

I think I was definitely in an offside position for the second goal. Offside is offside, but...

But you protested vigorously with your index finger at that moment!

Because I wanted him to reverse his decision to disallow my first goal! On the pitch, you always have to try... you always want to influence the referee's opinion. But honestly, my first goal was clearly not offside, and the second goal was indeed offside.

The final score is 2-2. A poor first half, a better second half. Is there one more match left to play?

Yes, we really have to give everything. Our goal, of course, is to win the next match. Playing at home in Eindhoven feels good. We want to prove that the poor first-half performance was just an unintended blip, and we've learned from it.

So the main goal now is to prove this was just an anomaly?

Exactly, of course, absolutely.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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