World Cup: ‘They were fighting like lions’, say Dutch fans in S’pore after q-final exit

It was deja vu for Dutchman Robert Jan Dettmeijer as the Netherlands bowed out of the World Cup in the wee hours on Saturday (Singapore time) after a penalty shoot-out loss in their quarter-final tie against Argentina.

Eight years ago, the 43-year-old had also stayed up to watch the Oranje’s semi-final with Argentina at the Brazil World Cup, which ended with La Albiceleste advancing to the final on penalties.

Back then, Argentina beat Netherlands 4-2 in the penalty shoot-out following a goal-less draw after extra time. On Saturday, the Dutch snatched a 2-2 draw from the jaws of defeat thanks to a brace from Wout Weghorst, only to lose 4-3 on spot kicks.

Dettmeijer told The Sunday Times: “Unfortunately it was the same as eight years ago on penalties against Argentina. I was in Kuala Lumpur at that time, which cost me a lot of sleep just like today because of extra time.

“It’s unlucky... I wish we could proceed to the next round but the guys were fighting like lions, throwing themselves in front of the ball and the courage was there.”

He was with about 200 people who rode a roller coaster of emotions at the Hollandse Club during the quarter-final, which started at 3am on Saturday.

The fans were dressed for the occasion, turning the venue into a sea of orange with their Netherlands jerseys and accessories such as wigs.

The sight of players in the tunnel drew cheers from the crowd, who also proudly sang along when the Dutch national anthem blared from the speakers.

Despite the early hour, it was a morning of merrymaking as they enjoyed their beer and chips while experiencing the highs and lows of the match together.

Argentina took the lead through Nahuel Molina in the 35th minute, but that did not dampen the mood as they occasionally broke out into Dutch football chants.

The fiery fixture, which saw referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz show 18 yellow cards and one red, also elicited strong reactions from the crowd at times, such as when Lionel Messi was awarded a penalty in the 73rd minute that he converted to double Argentina’s advantage.

With less than 10 minutes to go and Netherlands trailing 2-0, the crowd were subdued, seemingly resigned to their team’s fate but the mood turned buoyant quickly when substitute Weghorst pulled one back in the 83rd minute.

Weghorst’s last-gasp goal in injury time, which forced the game into extra time, sent the fans into a frenzy.

The tension continued to build during extra time before the match went to a penalty shoot-out.

Like their team on the Lusail Stadium pitch, several fans had their arms slung around each other’s shoulders as they watched the nail-biting affair, which saw the Netherlands’ first two spot kicks saved by Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

While there was a glimmer of hope when Enzo Fernandez missed his penalty, the Dutch ultimately fell just short and some disappointed fans were left burying their faces in their hands.

Despite the quarter-final exit, Jan de Laat, who was at the Hollandse Club with his son, enjoyed gathering with fellow fans and believes that the future is bright for the team.

The 61-year-old banker said: “The game surprised the whole world with two goals at the end – nobody expected that and that’s already a fantastic achievement.

“I’m very proud of what we have done and in four years’ time, we’ll go back.

“In two years’ time, we have the European Championship so there’s a lot to look forward to.”