Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk was clearly unhappy with the controversial refereeing that saw England awarded a penalty in Wednesday night’s Euro 2024 semi-final.
Van Dijk spoke after the match and looked anything but happy after what will have been a heartbreaking defeat for his country when Ollie Watkins scored a late winner to book a place against Spain in Sunday’s final.
Watch below as Van Dijk is asked about England’s first-half penalty, which came after the referee initially waved it off but then checked VAR and changed his mind, giving Harry Kane the chance to equalise from the spot…
Van Dijk feels the referee knew he was wrong as he left the field quickly at the end, meaning the Dutch players did not get a chance to speak to him.
England fans won’t care at the moment as Gareth Southgate prepares for a second successive Euro final, with the Three Lions now having the chance to make up for that hugely disappointing night against Italy in the final three years ago.
Still, refereeing decisions, particularly since the introduction of VAR, continue to receive a lot of attention in the biggest games, and it is perhaps not a good omen that such a serious error was made in such an important game as this, with the final just days away.
