Holland let a good result go in the last minute of the tribute match for deceased Johan Cruyff, it was a day for mourning for all Dutch people and football lovers. But according to the Dutch manager this wasn't an excuse to lose the match at the end. He analyzed the defeat which he felt like a draw at a certain moment of the game, unfortunately for him and his team, Blaise Matuidi's last minute winner was enough to get beaten.
When asked if Cruyff's homage could be blamed for the loss, Blind said: "I'm not going to blame that. Once the whistle goes, you have to be ready like a pro. We were unfortunate with the first goal. The second goal, we did not do well. We learned a lot. I can live with a defeat, because in many facets of the game they are beyond us. But it's disappointing that we could not get the 2-2 draw, though that would perhaps not have been deserved."
Skipper Klassen told Fox Sports that despite the loss, he liked the tribute to Johan Cruyff at the 14th minute of the game: "The last of my three shots was a free shooting opportunity. I was expecting Ibrahim (Afellay) to shoot, but I have to do better with it. It is a shame that we lost, but above all it was a nice tribute to Johan Cruyff."
Holland will have to wait until the World Cup qualifiers start for them to play another official game, they were not able to get their ticket to the European Championship's final stage. France will miss the Dutch, who had been a constant squad in the past major tournaments in the world with a starring role as well.
Photo credit: Equipe de France