Van Dijk scores crucial spot kick
Netherlands Captain leads by example, scoring a crucial penalty to earn Netherlands victory over Greece
#vandijk #virgil #captainfantastic #spotkick #penalty #pressure #coolunderpressure
Virgil Van Dijk proved once again that he is the man for the big occasion, scoring an injury time penalty to beat Greece, and mopve the Dutch up to second in Group B.
When Liverpool lifted the Premier League and Champions League Titles a couple of seasons ago,Virgil Van Dijk was rightly hailed as the best defender in the World. Amonghst his many attributes, perhaps his greatest was his calmness under pressure. Indeed, in the wake of our famous victories, the club shop issued a t-shirt with the caption 'Cool as you like - Virgil van Dijk'.
Sadly, since his serious knee injury, that calmness seems to have eluded Van Dijk at various times. Instead of looking like a stroll in the park, Van Dijk has appeard hurried and under pressure.
Self Confidence
The one thing that has not disappeared however, is his self confidence. So when his Netherlands team were awarded a 93rd minute penalty, there was only one person in the Dutch team who was going to step up. Virgil Van Dijk. Captain. Leader.
The pressure was immense. The Dutch had already missed one penalty earlier in the match. Their opponents, Greece, were 3 points ahead of them in Group B, and qualification for Euro 2024 looked to be slipping away. The inevitable VAR check added several more minutes of tension, before the penalty was confirmed. The weight of expecation of a football mad nation sat on his shoulders, whilst the home Greek fans did everything they could to ramp up the noise and intimidation.
Defining moments in your career
Football is very much a confidence sport. Key moments often define a players career, sometimes in the short term - sometimes for the long term. This felt like one of those moments.
Score, and Van Dijk was the hero, returning to Anfield on the crest of a wave. Miss, and the doubts would resurface again.....
Thankfully Van Dijk scored, and our Captain will return to Liverpool with a smile and a swagger. Confidence sky high, ready to lead Liverpool to more glory!
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