Van Dijk blasts referee after England defeat: He ran straight to the tunnel

Dortmund,UPDATED: Jul 11, 2024 03:28 IST

Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk had some harsh words for referee Felix Zwayer, as he pointed out decisions which he believed to have gone massively against his side and ultimately played a big role in their defeat to England in the Euro 2024 semi-final on July 11. van Dijk went to the extent of referring to Zwayer leaving for the tunnel of the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund straight after the full-time whistle, which he belies to be a move of avoidance by the already controversial referee.

Gareth Southgate's England secured back-to-back European Championship Finals on top of their 2-1 win over Ronald Koeman's Dutch side, courtesy of a 90th minute goal by super-sub Ollie Watkins. However, the match saw multiple decisions going against the Netherlands, when the replays for the same told an altogether different picture.

"The referee ran back inside straight after the FT whistle, that says a lot...I have no words. To concede so late, that is terrible. This hurts so much. I have to stand here, but I don't even know what to say. This hurts so much,” van Dijk said post match.

First and foremost came the much controversial penalty call given to England, which then saw Harry Kane bring the scores level to 1-1 after the Dutch had taken an early lead from Xavi Simons' screamer. The penalty can easily be argued as a soft-call as Harry Kane's feet, while in motion to take a shot, went on and hit the blocking boot of Denzel Dumfries. Zawyer even took the assistance of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) and then came to his decision, much to the complete frustration of the Dutch fans and players.

Then came the easiest of the lot, a clear corner call after the ball went skimming the head of John Stones. Surprisingly, Zwayer gave England a goal-kick for the same. This call completely brought on the wrath of Virgil van Dijk, and even resulted in the Ducth skipper getting booked for dissent. Even ahead of the match, UEFA's decision to let Zwayer officiate such a high-value fixture was questioned by fans and former players alike, specifically due to the German referee's history of being banned for accepting a bribe back in 2005.