Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk expressed his disbelief at the condition of the pitch following the Netherlands’ 1-0 victory over Greece.
The 32-year-old displayed composure from the penalty spot in stoppage time, securing qualification for the 2024 European Championships on Monday evening.
The match was a tense affair, with the Dutch team leaving it late to secure their place in next summer’s tournament after Wout Weghorst’s first-half penalty was saved.
Denzel Dumfries was fouled in the 18-yard box, prompting referee Alejandro Hernández to point to the spot. Hernández also dismissed Greece manager Gus Poyet for his protests on the touchline.
Lasers don’t faze Virgil Van Dijk 😤
(via @FOXSoccer)pic.twitter.com/D7m14AnRod
— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 16, 2023
However, despite his heroics, Van Dijk was not best pleased with the condition of the pitch during his post-match interview.
“Have you seen the pitch? Terrible,” he said. “It’s unbelievable that this is still allowed at this level.”
It has been a week of complaining for the Liverpool defender, who recently hit out at the Premier League schedule organisers for forcing players to play too many games.
“In England we believe the schedules are too busy,” he said. “The players are getting paid well but it should never come at the cost of our health.
“We keep having to play more and more games. We as players should start saying something about it, contribute to a solution.”
Asked whether he would be prepared to give up 10 per cent of his salary if he were to play less games, Van Dijk replied: “No.”
He continued: “I don’t think having to play less games depends on my salary?”