Netherlands look to test Ukrainians
Amsterdam, June 12: Seven years is a long, long wait. It’s been that many years since the Netherlands last played at a major football tournament, dating back to the orange-clad team’s run to the World Cup semifinals in 2014. On Sunday in Amsterdam, the Dutch will finally be back on the field to take on Ukraine at the European Championship.
“We know that we missed two final tournaments, but now we’re finally here and so we want to show what we can do, not just for fun but really for the prizes,’’ said Memphis Depay, the striker who is the undisputed focal point of the Dutch attack at Euro 2020.
The team’s captain and defensive anchor, Virgil van Dijk, will have to wait even longer. He pulled out of the tournament to rehabilitate his surgically repaired knee. With Van Dijk sidelined, 21-year-old center back Matthijs de Ligt will be a key defender for the Netherlands, but he is trying to recover from a groin injury and will miss the opener.
Meanwhile, Ukraine qualified for the last two European Championships, but have never progressed past the group stage. The country’s main player is Oleksandr Zinchenko, who plays at left back for Manchester City but is expected to switch to a central midfield role for his country.
The Ukrainians are coached by Andriy Shevchenko, whose mentality doesn’t seem to have changed much from his playing days with the national team and clubs including AC Milan and Chelsea.