Klopp and Kimmich hit back at Netherlands and Liverpool star van Dijk over "disgrace" goal criticism
| Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images |
Virgil van Dijk and his Netherlands teammates were furious after Felix Nmecha put Germany 1-0 up in Amsterdam during Thursday’s UEFA Nations League clash, which ultimately ended in a 1-1 draw.
Around the half-hour mark, Dutch forward Brian Brobbey picked up an injury without any contact from an opponent. Germany then continued playing and launched the attack that led to Nmecha’s opener.
Van Dijk subsequently branded the goal a “disgrace”, arguing that Germany should have put the ball out of play after Brobbey went down injured.
Germany coach Jürgen Klopp and captain Joshua Kimmich, however, rejected the criticism, both pointing out that it is the referee, rather than the players, who is responsible for stopping the game.
“It certainly wasn't a disgrace. The goal was completely legitimate. I don't have a guilty conscience. And I would have one if it weren't legitimate. I would have taken it anyway, but I would have had a guilty conscience. I don't have one,” Klopp said at his post-match press conference.
If the same thing had happened to his team, he said, "I would have told my players that they had to keep playing."
“They didn't. And we took full advantage of it with a really excellent move. Great cross, great run. Felix was where he needed to be – and he smashed the ball in.”
“It certainly wasn't a disgrace, but when emotions are running high, you can say anything in the heat of the moment,” the Germany coach added.
Kimmich: Not a “considered reponse”
Kimmich, meanwhile, said in a post-match interview that Van Dijk’s accusation was not a “considered response”.
“I played a pass to Philipp [Treu], he crossed the ball, and we scored a goal,” the midfielder explained, describing his perspective on the controversial incident.
“The referee stops the game, especially when a player has a head injury. It is the referee's responsibility to determine whether the player is seriously injured.
“I didn't hear a whistle, so the game continued completely correctly,” he added.
