Virgil van Dijk might be one of the most respected defenders in the world, but the facts speak for themselves. In the last two games, his national side conceded seven goals, most of which came from the side that covers Van Dijk himself.Against Croatia in the Wednesday semi-final, Oranje lost 4-2, while today they suffered another home loss, this time to Italy, 3-2 in the UEFA Nations League bronze-medal match.FT: The Netherlands 2-3 Italy.Went for gold, didn’t even end up with bronze. Another huge failure. pic.twitter.com/r45D6bwVM2— 𝐀𝐅𝐂 𝐀𝐉𝐀𝐗 💎 (@TheEuropeanLad) June 18, 2023 The fact Manchester City’s Nathan Ake was there to help VVD, along with Inter Milan’s Denzel Dumfries, makes the whole thing even crazier.On the other hand, Roberto Mancini opted for a rather mixed started XI, leaving his stars like Jorginho and Barella on the bench.Netherlands 1-3 Italy #NationsLeagueGoal Chiesapic.twitter.com/KpU1CU1x1Q— WFGOALS (@WFTV46) June 18, 2023 Not only did it not cause trouble for the Italians, but Gli Azzurri rushed to success with an early Dimarco’s stunner. Frattesi made it 2-0 inside 20 minutes, and from that moment on, it was pretty clear who’ll grab the bronze medal.Netherlands 2-3 Italy #NationsLeagueGoal Wijnaldumpic.twitter.com/XfPTqYi397— WFGOALS (@WFTV46) June 18, 2023 Bergwijn reduced the margin with a beautiful goal in the second half before Chiesa’s brilliant finishing past Van Dijk made it 3-1. Wijnaldum scored late to provide us with some excitement near the end, but not even nine minutes of stoppage time was enough for the hosts to take the game into extra time.UEFA NATIONS LEAGUEBronze-medal gameNetherlands – Italy 2-3 (2-0)/Bergwijn 68, Wijnaldum 89 – Dimarco 6, Frattesi 20, Chiesa 72/Final21.45: (3.60) Croatia (3.35) Spain (2.20)*** odds are subject to change***
