Netherlands defender Nathan Ake says his team are “very close” to achieving their dream as they prepare to face England in the Euro 2024 semi-final.
The Netherlands had to come from behind to beat Turkey 2-1 on Saturday, but their biggest test may come against England.
It will be familiar ground for Ake, who plays for Premier League club Manchester City, and he will be up against some of his club teammates.
“I’m looking forward to it. There are a lot of players I know from the Premier League,” Ake said.
“We know their individual abilities and it’s a semi-final so it will be a tough battle. We’re building momentum.”
“We got through the tough stages at the beginning of the tournament and now we’ve come through another test so I think we’re ready.”
“Underdogs or not, it doesn’t matter. We focus on ourselves. We know what we have to do. We are very close to winning right now.”
“You can play good football and still get into the game.”
Both teams reached the semi-finals despite facing criticism from supporters and the media.
England, who needed a penalty shootout to beat Switzerland in the quarter-finals, were runners-up in 2021 but have struggled so far.
Manager Gareth Southgate had a plastic cup thrown at him after the goalless draw with Slovenia and was booed and questioned throughout the match.
“Any team that makes it to the semi-finals deserves to be there,” said Ake, but the Netherlands also failed to live up to expectations in the group stage and struggled in the first half of their match against Turkey.
“It’s a good sign for England to win. It’s a good sign for us! At the end of the day, that’s what matters most,” said Liverpool forward Cody Ngakpo, who is tied for the tournament’s top scorer.
“You can play good football and still lose. Of course, I think we all know that each country can play a little bit better, but if we win, that’s all that matters.”
Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman said his team “will have to fight” but was excited by the prospect of two “powers” going head-to-head.
“England have good players but I think we have good players too,” he added.
“Now we will be playing in Dortmund, which has one of the most beautiful stadiums and we are very proud of our supporters.”
“We got to the semi-finals and nobody expected that.”
