Once once more the Netherlands ponder what may need been at a Women’s World Cup

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — The Netherland’s peripatetic marketing campaign on the Women’s World Cup ended Friday with a 2-1 quarterfinal loss to Spain and the sting of bitterness and remorse.

A 62nd-minute penalty awarded to the Netherlands after a push by Irene Paredes on Lineth Beerensteyn was scrubbed out after a VAR evaluate.

What may need been a 1-0 lead grew to become a 1-0 deficit when Mariona Caldente scored from the penalty spot from Spain after one other evaluate discovered defender Stefanie van der Gragt’s hand had made contact with the ball close to the sting of the world.

Just over 10 minutes later and close to the tip of stoppage time, van der Gragt pushed up in an assault function and broke free on Victoria Pelova’s cross to calmly strike the ball previous the Spanish goalkeeper, sending the match to additional time. There was a query of offside however this time the VAR present in favor of the Dutch.

But the win and semifinal place went to Spain with a objective to substitute Salma Paralluelo late within the second interval of additional time. For the Netherlands there was solely the disappointment and reflection on what may need been.

Beaten 2-0 by the United States within the remaining of the 2019 World Cup, the Netherlands had positioned themselves properly to succeed in the ultimate once more after the exit of the United States within the spherical of 16. It wasn’t to be.

PHOTOS: Once once more the Netherlands ponder what may need been at a Women’s World Cup

Coach Andries Jonker was blunt in his evaluation that the VAR choice that value the Netherlands so dearly was unsuitable.

“Well, look, I think the VAR didn’t do their work properly, but they deserved to win. It’s just that this decision was wrong. It was wrong,” he mentioned. “The main thing is, this is the Netherlands, we can play football, and we can win against Spain.”

The Netherlands started the present event primarily based within the northern North Island metropolis of Tauranga. They traveled to Wellington to play, then to Dunedin on the South Island, to Australia for the spherical of 16 and again to Wellington for Friday’s match.

They face yet another journey now and the toughest of all. Home.

“We did our best,” Jonker mentioned. “We tried to camouflage our weaknesses and show out strengths, but there’s only one solution: you have you have to play forward, you have to get the ball, stay on the ball, make the game and step one was fantastic. What we showed during this tournament, sometimes it was fantastic, sometimes it was less than that.”

Beerensteyn had two probabilities in additional time, hit one extensive, the opposite over the bar and Spain superior.

“We’ve been convinced to make it through to the semifinals and make it to the finals,” Jonker mentioned. “But we didn’t.