Fairy-tale finish eludes Dutch defender van der Gragt in loss to Spain

It was not the fairy-tale finish Stefanie van der Gragt might have envisioned, with a goal and a costly handball in a 2-1 loss to Spain in Friday's quarterfinals that knocked the Netherlands out of the Fifa Women's World Cup.

But Spain coach Jorge Vilda said the 30-year-old, who played for the Dutch team for the last time on Friday, “deserves a statue”.

Van der Gragt's obvious handball in the 81st minute led to Spain's first goal, but she earned a bit of redemption by scoring herself 10 minutes later to send the game to extra time.

Vilda said she will be missed.

“This kind of defender is disappearing in modern football, it's mentality, it's attitude, it is a huge will to win, to fight, it's physical, strong with the head, strong over the ground. Every tackle is a tackle,” Vilda said.

“Not the best player in the world, but maybe the best defender.

“She has shown up for this international team for more than 100 matches [she has made 107 appearances]. One way or another, she deserves a statue.

“We respect her a lot. It's her decision. [But] if she would change her mind, she would be welcome.”

The Dutch were considered among the favourites Down Under after finishing runners-up to the US in 2019.

Oranje were knocked out of Euro 2022 by France in the quarterfinals, and coach Andries Jonker said he is proud of how his squad rebounded in a year.

“This is a tough one to swallow. But we put ourselves on the map again,” Jonker said.

Jonker was also angry on Friday that officials waved off what he believed should have been a penalty when Spanish defender Irene Paredes bulldozed over Lineth Beerensteyn in the area. The referee initially ruled it a penalty but VAR said otherwise.

“I thought OK, no penalty, but when I saw the repetition just now [on video], it should have been a penalty after all,” the coach said. “It still doesn't mean Spain didn't win deservedly.”

The ninth-ranked Netherlands became the tournament's latest top-ranked casualty, joining US, Germany, Canada and Brazil.

Reuters