Virgil van Dijk received two yellow cards within three minutes during the Netherlands’ 1-1 draw against Hungary, which took place without their captain. Both Van Dijk and manager Ronald Koeman expressed their frustration over a controversial referee decision. This match marked Van Dijk’s first red card in his international career.
After falling behind to a goal from Roland Sallai in the 32nd minute, the Netherlands struggled against Hungary’s strong defense. Van Dijk was penalized by Swiss referee Lukas Fahndrich for dissent after a hard tackle on Donyell Malen, which he felt was unwarranted.
“It’s disappointing and shouldn’t have happened,” Van Dijk told ESPN after the match, which saw Denzel Dumfries equalize in the 83rd minute. “I’m particularly upset about the first yellow card.”
The 33-year-old defender, while approaching the referee, believed he was advocating for his team respectfully, stating, “They say the captain is the only one allowed to speak to the referee. I approached him in a calm manner, but if even the captain can’t voice concerns, it becomes challenging.”
