Netherlands star Joey Veerman was on the verge of tears after Ronald Koeman hauled him off just 33 minutes into their Euro 2024 clash against Austria.
The PSV midfielder was guilty of a dismal display in their final Group D match at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
And with Austria 1-0, up courtesy of a freak own goal by Donyell Malen, Koeman decided to replace Veerman for Xavi Simons.
An emotional – and slightly embarrassed – Veerman could be seen trying to pull his shirt over his face as he made his way off the pitch.
He then appeared to be in tears in the dugout, where he covered his head in his hands, before covering his face with Holland’s pre-match shirt.
Former Tottenham midfielder and Dutch icon Rafael van der Vaart admitted that whole it was tough to watch the player’s reaction, Koeman made the right choice.
He told NOS: “I felt sorry for Joey Veerman.
“I was happy he got taken off because it actually became super sad to watch him play.”
The stats show Koeman was correct to make the change, with the 25-year-old losing 55 per cent of his touches (16/29).
He also boasted a pass accuracy of just 47 per cent, as he managed to find a teammate just nine times from his 199 attempts.
Despite Veerman’s poor performance, Van der Vaart also vented his anger at his teammates.
He remarked: “What we are seeing is a disgrace! Midfield is bad, the wingers are bad, nobody has the balls to ask for the ball.
“Nobody seems excited to play this game!”
With Netherlands in the mix to finish top of Group D, they came out of the blocks fast at the start of the second half.
And it resulted in Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo equalising in fine fashion with a brilliant curling effort.
But Austria soon regained the lead through Romano Schmid just before the hour mark.
As it stands, the Netherlands will be finishing in third place, where they would be facing England in the last 16 on Sunday.
talkSPORT will bring you live commentary of EVERY game at Euro 2024. Tune in via the website or the app, and follow our live Euro 2024 blog for all the latest news, views and reaction to the big moments.
News Summary:
- ‘I felt sorry for him’ – Netherlands star Joey Veerman on verge of tears after being brutally hauled off just 33 minutes into Euro 2024 clash
- Check all news and articles from the latest Football updates.