The Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal bid farewell to his teaching profession after a heartbreaking quarterfinal defeat to Argentina within the penalty shootout on Friday evening.
“First and foremost I will not be continuing. I only did it for this period of time. This was my very last match of my third term as head coach,” the 71-year-old stated in his post-match press convention.
Van Gaal, who joined the Netherlands in 2021 as the top coach, continued to handle the Dutch facet regardless of being identified with an aggressive type of prostate most cancers. He underwent chemotherapy remedy and recovered earlier than the World Cup.
Van Gaal’s 20-match unbeaten streak since changing Frank de Boer final summer season got here to finish on Friday evening when the Netherlands misplaced to Argentina within the quarterfinals.
“In that time, I coached 20 matches, and we didn’t lose a single one. I do not know how many matches we won, but you can Google ‘Louis van Gaal, Dutch team’ and see the goal difference for yourself,” added Van Gaal.
He, nonetheless, is just not dissatisfied with the result as his staff remained unbeaten within the regulation time and stated, “I do not think we have been beaten today. It was only a penalty shoot-out.”
In his illustrious profession, Van Gaal, a former bodily schooling trainer, managed prime golf equipment throughout Europe: from Ajax within the Netherlands to Barcelona in Spain to Bayern Munich in Germany to Manchester United in England.
Hailing the Netherlands gamers, he stated, “What I am leaving behind is a great group. Personally and football-wise, this is a team that is very close and with a lot of skill. I was a coach for 20 matches, and we never lost over that time. That’s for a reason. We have played against top countries as well, although those countries were eliminated earlier in the competition.”
In the match, Argentina took a 2-0 lead with a first-half aim from Nahuel Molina and a second penalty from Lionel Messi. The Netherlands, nonetheless, pressured Argentina right into a penalty shoot-out after Wout Weghorst scored twice – the primary one within the 83rd minute after which the equaliser within the stoppage time.
In the shootout, Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez put up a superb efficiency as he dived to save lots of spot-kicks from Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis in a 4-3 win over the Netherlands.