28 Oct 2023 at 00:16
National coach Andries Jonker thought he was being tricked on Friday evening. The fourth official asked if Jonker wanted to put on a vest, because the color of his jacket could be confusing.
“She came to me very seriously and said that I should wear a different color. I looked at her: what do you mean?”, Jonker said after the match. “She said I was wearing the same color as the linesman on the other side. That made me laugh so much.”
“But she said it in such a serious and fierce tone. Those are ladies you shouldn’t argue with. What madness,” said Jonker. The national coach then asked his team manager what he should wear and he produced a white vest.
“I put on that white thing, that was it. I’ve been around for a while, but I’ve never experienced this. What madness. As if there are no other things to worry about,” Jonker said, laughing.
National coach Andries Jonker had to keep his vest on for the entire match. Photo: Getty Images
‘Excellent at times’
Jonker had even more reason to laugh. His team won 4-0 against Scotland and did well in the battle for an Olympic ticket. “This is what we can do. We took some of our chances and we didn’t make any big mistakes. We did have a few slip-ups, but they didn’t punish them.”
“We did what we should have done against Belgium. You have to take your chances and then you get this football. I thought it was excellent at times,” said Jonker, who also commented on the conditions in Nijmegen.
“I think the highlight is that we win this way and that the audience reacts like this. I like playing in these kinds of circumstances,” Jonker said, referring to the sold-out Goffert Stadium.
The victory puts the Netherlands at the top of Group A. England follows in second place with the same number of points with a 1-0 win over Belgium. The Dutch team awaits another confrontation with Scotland on Tuesday. That match starts at 8.45pm at Hampden Park in Glasgow.
Standings group A
Netherlands 3-6 (+4) England 3-6 (+1) Belgium 3-4 (+0) Scotland 3-1 (-5)
2023-10-27 22:16:53
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