AMSTERDAM, July 1: Dutch fans admitted the better side won after Portugal's 2-1 victory in Wednesday's Euro 2004 semifinal, and said they now wanted the Czech Republic to win the tournament.
"Portugal were clearly better. It was a deserved win," said Roland van der Hoofd, a 24-year-old student, as he finished his drink outside a central Amsterdam bar decked out in orange flags, balloons and ribbons.
"It's a pity but justified. The game was fair as far as I could see, there was quite a lot of theatre at the end. I expect the Czech Republic to win," said Kenneth van Gortun, a 29-year-old working in the airline industry.
The Czechs were playing outsiders Greece in the other semifinal on Thursday. Some fans accused referee Anders Frisk of bias towards the hosts, echoing the opinion of Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.
The crowds of fans clad in the Dutch national orange who had thronged to bars across the Netherlands melted away, with police reporting no significant trouble in the major urban centres.
A rain shower further dampened spirits in Amsterdam after the game. Tessel Hulkenberg, a 20-year-old physiotherapy student, was resigned. "The teams were a fair match. It isn't so bad the Dutch lost but neither did the Portugese really deserve it."
At least five top Dutch players ended their international careers after the defeat including captain Frank de Boer and defender Jaap Stam. "This is the end of one generation of soccer players.
A lot of them will be stopping now," said 23-year-old economics student Peter Verwaken. "Players like Arjen Robben... will be the future. They don't have the experience now but that will come." -Reuters
