Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk delivered the perfect riposte to his many critics in his homeland by scoring a crucial last-minute winner for Netherlands tonight.
The Oranje were away to Greece in a Euro 2024 qualifier that they needed to win in order to reel in their opponents for the second qualification berth in Group B, and the teams were deadlocked at 0-0 going into stoppage time.
After Wout Weghorst had a penalty saved in the first half, the second Dutch spot kick of the night was entrusted to their skipper in the 93rd minute.
Calm as you like and showing nerves of steel, Van Dijk ignored the laser shining into his eyes to lash the ball past Odysseas Vlachodimos and secure a pivotal victory for his nation, one which puts them on the cusp of qualifying for the finals next summer.
Make no doubt about it, the Liverpool colossus would’ve absolutely loved that one!
You can view Van Dijk’s match-winning penalty below, taken from beIN SPORTS’ match coverage and shared on Twitter/X by @Cruiselord___:
CAPTAIN VIRGIL VAN DIJK WITH THE WINNING PENALTY TO SAVE THE NETHERLANDS 🫡
CLUTCH💯 pic.twitter.com/AwdWxyR1BB
— DavidLFC🐻 (@Cruiselord___) October 16, 2023