A heart-damaged Matthijs de Ligt has accepted that the Netherlands’ shockful exit from Euro 2020 in the hands of the Czech Republic was due to his decision to handle the ball, which resulted in him receiving an expensive red card.
The 21-year-old enjoyed a solid match with the score locked at 0-0, but everything changed in 52 minutes, when the Dutchman hesitated in possession, slipped and pushed the ball away from the intrusive Patrik Schick with his hand.
The judge originally awarded a yellow card for the violation, but VAR intervened and suggested that the official check the incident on the touch screen. Official Sergei Karasev investigated the crime, chose to reverse his decision and instead gave De Ligt his marching orders.
The Juventus star was devastated when he left the pitch, and his poor decision caused even more serious consequences, as the Netherlands collapsed to a 2-0 defeat against the Czechs and crashed out of Euro 2020 in the 16th stage.
De Ligt met the cameras at the end of the match, and he admitted that the red card and the early exit “hurts”, while Holland had been eliminated “because” of his actions.
“It’s obvious it hurts,” De Ligt told NOS TV.
De Ligts handball finally cost the Netherlands a place in the quarterfinals / Soccrates Images / Getty Images
“Basically, we lost the game because of what I did. In retrospect, I would not have let the ball bounce. I felt we had the game under control and had some chances, especially during the first half.
“I did not even have the feeling that the Czechs created many scoring opportunities, but the red card obviously made the difference.”
The Czech Republic took advantage of their one-man advantage 17 minutes after De Ligt’s red card, when Tomas Holes nodded home a well-worked dead host. Schick claimed a famous victory for the underdogs and sent a scaled-shocked Netherlands home in the process.
