"Messi ended the Netherlands" "Sack Koeman now" - Twitter explodes as Netherlands suffer 3-2 defeat to Italy in UEFA Nations League clash

The Netherlands suffered a 3-2 defeat against Italy in the UEFA Nations League third-place clash on Sunday, June 18. Fans on Twitter slammed the team and head coach Ronald Koeman after the disappointing performance.

In their semi-final fixture which went to extra-time, the Netherlands suffered a 4-2 defeat against Croatia. They faced Italy, who were knocked out by Spain in their semi-final, in the match for third place.

Federico Dimarco opened the scoring for the Azzurri in the sixth minute of the match before Davide Frattesi doubled their lead with his strike in the 20th minute. While Steven Bergwijn halved the deficit in the 68th minute, Federico Chiesa made it 3-1 just four minutes later.

Although Wout Weghorst's 82nd minute goal was disallowed, Georginio Wijnaldum found the back of the net for the Dutch in the 89th minute. However, it was too little-too late as the team succumbed to a 3-2 defeat.

Fans on Twitter reacted, with one of them suggesting that the Dutch team hasn't recovered from their quarter-final defeat against Lionel Messi's Argentina in the World Cup:

"Messi really ended the Netherlands."

Another asked for Koeman to be sacked, writing:

"Sack Koeman now."

Here are some of the best Twitter reactions as the Netherlands suffered a 3-2 defeat against Italy in the third-place match of the UEFA Nations League:

Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk spoke about his future with Liverpool

Liverpool had a disappointing 2022-23 season, finishing fifth in the Premier League and not making significant progress in any cup competitions. Central defender Virgil van Dijk was also far from his best form for the club.

The Dutchman made 41 appearances across competitions, helping the team keep 14 clean sheets. The Netherlands captain was asked about his future in Merseyside. Van Dijk told media ahead of the clash against Italy (via Daily Express):

"I still have two years left on my contract and I assume that they (Liverpool) still consider me important for the team. If not, I am sure I would have heard about it. My contact with the manager is good and I feel very positive about things again. The way we finished the season motivates me to go into pre-season with the new players who are coming in."

Since his 2018 move from Southampton, Van Dijk has made 222 appearances for the Reds and established himself as one of the best defenders in the world. While his performances in the 2022-23 season were disappointing at times, the towering defender remains an integral part of Jurgen Klopp's team.