Dutch Surprise France with Tactical Masterplan: 'They Had No Answer for Us'

Ahead of the match, the Dutch national team's focus was on organization, especially given the absence of seven key players. Ultimately, head coach Arjan Veurink, widely known as a tactical mastermind, delivered an excellent game plan. "We knew exactly what we were doing and what we could expect from each other. The past few days were crucial. We made significant strides, particularly in terms of coordination," Buurman analyzed in an interview with Sportnieuws.nl.

The Dutch were prepared for France's aggressive, attacking style of play. "We knew they would press 'blindly' from the start, so we understood there would be space behind their last line. We knew exactly how to exploit that with our speed," Buurman proudly stated. According to the defender, the difference lay primarily in the details. "We mainly discussed when to step out and when not to, and how to fill certain spaces. It paid off fantastically."

For Lineth Beerensteyn, the match was a special evening. The 29-year-old forward captained the Dutch national team for the first time in her career. According to her, the team's strength lay in confidence and courage. "I told the girls before the game: we just have to play with courage and confidence. We had nothing to lose, and we showed that. Then anything is possible."

According to Beerensteyn, the Netherlands had to adopt a different approach than usual. "We all know what we're capable of offensively, but against France, we also had to defend a lot. But when you know you're doing it together, you build that trust. You could feel that growing as the game progressed. At a certain point, you noticed: if I'm beaten, there's someone else behind me. We showed that for ninety minutes, and you can see that we can make it incredibly difficult for any opponent."

Beerensteyn believed the key was primarily in compact organization. "When you defend so compactly and disciplined, it's difficult for many opponents to play through. I also think France didn't have the ideal answer to our system," Beerensteyn complimented the staff. But how do you train something like that? "Lots of talking to each other," she explained.

"We're missing a lot of players, but we shouldn't forget that the players we do have are also incredibly good footballers. You then have to give a lot of confidence, talk to, and encourage the young players who are just joining, like Renee van Asten, for example. Then you see that she has a lot of quality herself. And then it just has to come out, and she did incredibly well today," Beerensteyn concluded.