Belanda Kalah setelah Dua Pemain Ogah jadi Eksekutor Pertama?
Two Holland Players Refused to Take a Penalty in Argentina Shootout
Editor : Ismail Gani
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
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Den Haag (B2B) - Louis van Gaal , pelatih timnas Belanda membeberkan bahwa dua pemainnya menolak penjadi penendang pertama dalam drama adu penalti melawan Argentina pada semifinal mereka Kamis dini hari lalu yang berkesudahan 4-2.
Kehormatan itu akhirnya jatuh kepada bek Ron Vlaar yang tendangannya berhasil diblok kiper Argentina Sergio Romero.
"Saya bertanya kepada dua pemain sebelum Vlaar mengambil penalti pertama," kata van Gaal kepada kantor berita Belanda ANP seperti dilansir Yahoo Sports.
"Keduanya menolak. Vlaar dalam pandangan saya adalah pemain terbaik kami. Sayangnya dia tidak berhasil," kata pelatih baru Manchester United ini.
Tidak seperti perempat final melawan Kosta Rika, Belanda kalah adu penalti, setelah Vlaar dan veteran Wesley Sneijder gagal membobol Romero.
"Adu penalti kami melawan Kosta Rika luar biasa. Itu semestinya memberi kami kepercayaan diri," kata van Gaal. "Anda mesti memaksimalkan tendangan penalti pertama."
Van Gaal mengaku ingin menurunkan lagi penjaga gawang Tim Krul yang mengantarkan Belanda mengalahkan Kosta Rika dalam adu penalti, untuk menggantikan kiper Jasper Cillessen.
"Tetapi saya sudah menggunakan tiga pemain pengganti saat itu. Pada akhirnya Romero memblok dua penalti," kata dia.
Argentina melawan Jerman pada final Minggu nanti, sedangkan Belanda menantang Brasil untuk memperebutkan tempat ketiga 24 jam sebelumnya.
The Hague - Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal has revealed two of his players refused to step up to take the first penalty in Wednesday´s 4-2 World Cup semi-final shoot-out loss to Argentina.
The ill-fated honour eventually fell to defender Ron Vlaar, whose effort was saved by Argentina keeper Sergio Romero.
"I asked two players ahead of Vlaar to take the first penalty," van Gaal told Dutch news agency ANP.
"They refused. Vlaar in my view was our best player. Unfortunately he didn´t score," the Manchester United-bound coach added.
Unlike in the quarter-finals against Costa Rica, the Dutch fell down in the penalty shootout, with both Vlaar -- who played a brilliant game until then -- and veteran Wesley Sneijder failing to score against Romero.
"Our penalties against Costa Rica were incredible. That should have given us confidence," said van Gaal.
"You have to maximise the first penalty shot," he added.
Van Gaal said he would have brought in replacement goalkeeper Tim Krul, who faced the penalties shootout and saved the day against Costa Rica, to take over from regular goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen.
"But I´ve already used my three substitutes at that time."
"In the end Romero stopped two penalties," he said.
Argentina face Germany in Sunday´s final while van Gaal´s Holland take on Brazil in the third place play-off 24 hours earlier.
