The Netherlands will not be playing at Euro 2016 after a 3-2 defeat to the Czech Republic ensured their miserable qualifying campaign ended in failure.
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With a few help from Italy, Croatia qualified from Group H for their fourth consecutive European Championships after a 1-0 win in Malta.
Will the Netherlands qualify for the Euro 2016 finals?
With Iceland and the Czechs guaranteed the top two places – and automatic qualification for the finals in France – Turkey and the Dutch are battling for third spot and a playoff berth.
The Dutch result was rendered academic when Selcuk Inan’s 89th-minute free-kick secured them the win 1-0 against Iceland that confirmed their status as the best third-placed team in qualifying and a spot in France next summer. However, Robin van Persie, who had come off the bench in the first half to win his 101st cap, inexplicably headed into his own net in the 66th minute to make it 3-0. Four minutes later, the Dutch struck back with a foul of their own as Daley Blind took out Bauyrzhan Islamkhan from his feet, who 10 minutes later had to leave the field with an injury.
And it comes just over a year after they finished third at the Brazil World Cup under current Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal.
The Netherlands last missed a European Championship in 1984 and the last time Holland was absent at a major tournament was the 2002 World Cup, reported Xinhua.
With Blind now under-pressure after only a short time at the helm, Premier League side Southampton have been rocked by reports linking manager Ronald Koeman to the job. “Despite the disappointment, we are building on a relatively young team”.
Following a promising start that saw winger Anwar El Ghazi draw a save from Petr Cech in the first minute, the Netherlands lapsed back into the sort of ponderous build up play that plagued the team’s qualification campaign.
But it was too little, too late, and as news filtered through that Turkey had snatched a late victory against Iceland, the Dutch knew their time was finally up.
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Asked what he would do if the Dutch did not qualify, he told reporters: “I will not talk now about what is in the future”.
