Dutch midfielder Frenkie De Jong lamented the elimination of Holland in the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Qatar this Friday evening, after the defeat of the ‘clockwork orange’ against Argentina, in Doha (2-2 in the 90th minute and 120′, 3-4 on penalties).
«I really had the feeling that this was going to be our World Cup. How things went, how this match went… I was really convinced that we would win, but it wasn’t destiny,” the Barcelona midfielder – where he was still Lionel Messi’s teammate – told reporters from the mixed zone of the stadium stadium, cited by Voetbal International.
After meeting his friend and former teammate Lionel Messi, De Jong shrugged at the talent that, once again, “the flea”, the seven-time “Ballon d’Or”, showed in the game. “We knew all the danger came from him, so we always tried to have someone with him. But it’s still very difficult to stop him,” admitted the midfielder.
“We had everything under control, but Messi will always have moments like this, which makes sense. He is the best player of all time », was the tribute he left to the albiceleste star
And as for Holland’s ‘malapata’ on penalties in major competitions, De Jong shook his head in consternation.
“We trained a lot [penáltis], and we also had the support of the people. I thought we wouldn’t even make it to penalties, that we’d score again in extra time, but that wasn’t the case. I arrived with the conviction of being world champion, and going out in the quarterfinals is really a disappointment,” concluded the 25-year-old midfielder.
