Dutch football ripped in print, online after Iceland loss

Oranje suffered a 0-1 defeat in the European Championship qualifier against Iceland in Amsterdam on Thursday night. On Friday morning Dutch newspapers were merciless in their criticism of the national team's first match under the new coach Danny Blind. The Telegraaf called the match a "debut to cry over" and a freezing cold shower for Oranje. According to the newspaper, coach Blind was particularly let down by Bruno Martins Indi, who got a silly red card in the first half hour, and Gregory van der Wiel, who caused a needless penalty shortly after the break. The newspaper also did not go easy on Blind himself. "If all your choices turn out wrong you find yourself in a very bad B movie. Why did he put audience favorite and attack leader Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to the side for defender Jeffery Bruma? Why play an extra lock on the door while Iceland played with one striker? Another misstep Sunday in Turkey and it may just be over again for Oranje and Danny Blind." AD Sportwereld called the match a "doomsday scenario" for the Dutch team, adding that everything that could go wrong, went wrong. "Oranje fell into total chaos", according to the Volkskrant, who believes that Dutch football has fallen into disrepair. "After club football, which drifted through Europe, the national team has also ended up in deep crisis." According to the newspaper, the offending actions of Martins Indi and Van der Wiel in particular has nothing to do with top football. "Brainless. Silly. Unprofessional. Never an attack. A total nothing." Trouw simply writes "disbelief after 0-1". Responses on social media are not much more positive: