Soccer-Criticism makes Dutch players sharper as pundits weigh in

The Netherlands may be the only side at the European Championship to have guaranteed themselves first place in their group after successive victories but there has been criticism of their performance, which defender Matthijs de Ligt said only served to sharpen them up.

The Dutch beat Austria 2-0 in Amsterdam on Thursday to ensure top spot in Group C and book a round of 16 clash in Budapest on Sunday, June 27.But De Ligt was singled out for a verbal lashing by Marco van Basten, a former player and coach of the national side and scorer of an iconic Euros goal in 1988 on the way to the Netherlands' only major tournament triumph.

"He is the guardian of the defence and needs to lead a lot more. You have to assert yourself. He went to Italy to learn how to defend, but I don't think he learned much there," said Van Basten on Dutch television. The Dutch edged Ukraine 3-2 in their opening game of Euro 2020, but they let a two-goal lead slip before scoring a dramatic late winner. Thursday’s victory over Austria did not stretch them as much.

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