Looking at Croatia, does the Netherlands feel sad?

(Baonghean.vn) - The checkered team has officially won a ticket to Russia next summer, after defeating Greece in the play-off match. Meanwhile, the "orange whirlwind" has to stay home to watch the 2018 World Cup on TV.

On July 11, 1998, at the Parc des Princes in Paris (France), Croatia defeated the Netherlands 2-1 in the 3rd place match of the 2018 World Cup. That was the only time the two teams met in major tournaments (Euro, World Cup) in the past 20 years.

Since the clash in the "hexagonal" country, Dutch and Croatian football have experienced different ups and downs. The "land of tulips" team has missed the World Cup finals twice (2002 and 2018) and the Euro finals once (2016), the plaid team also missed the World Cup finals once (2010) and the Euro finals once (2000).

However, the Netherlands' performance proved to be superior to Croatia's.

At the 2010 World Cup, Robben and his teammates won the runner-up position (losing to Spain in the final); 4 years later, when the biggest football festival on the planet took place in Brazil, the Netherlands won 3rd place (beating host Brazil in the 3-4 match); the highest achievement of the "orange whirlwind" at the Euro finals was winning the bronze medal in the tournament held right in their home country in 2000.

Croatia's most impressive achievement was still third place at the 1998 World Cup.

The disappointment of Dutch players for not being able to attend the 2018 World Cup. Photo: Internet

But in the last two major tournaments, there has been no sign of the "big guy" Netherlands. After the achievement of winning 3rd place in Brazil in 2014 and coach Luis Van Gaal leaving the team to lead Man Utd, Dutch football has plummeted.

Even when the Euro finals expanded to 24 teams, the “orange whirlwind” could not win a ticket. They were only in the same group with low-rated teams such as the Czech Republic, Turkey, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Latvia. However, at the end of the qualifying round, the Netherlands only ranked 4th and could not go to France.

Disaster continues to befall the Orange team in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers in Europe. They are in the same group as France, Sweden, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, and Belarus. The defeats against France (2 matches) and Bulgaria have forced the Netherlands to rank 3rd in the group - equal on points with 2nd-placed Sweden but inferior in additional indexes.

The shock of 2001 (failure in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers) once again happened to the Netherlands and their fans. The 2018 World Cup will be less attractive on the field and in the stands, due to the absence of Robben and his teammates.

The joy of Croatian players and coaching staff after the 0-0 draw with Greece. Photo: Internet

On the contrary, the Netherlands' opponent in the 1998 World Cup third-place match, Croatia, continuously appeared at the Euro 2012, 2016 and the World Cup 2014, 2018. Will experts and fans of the "Orange Storm" team feel sad when seeing Croatia proudly present in Russia next summer?

After nearly 20 years, the positions of Dutch and Croatian football are undergoing quite opposite changes. Croatia has become a regular in major tournaments, while the Netherlands has also made football fans gradually get used to their absence./.

Thanh Hung