Ronald Koeman said he will take responsibility for the Netherlands' defeat to Austria as pressure continues to mount on the Oranje head coach.
The Netherlands twice came from behind in Berlin thanks to goals from Memphis Depay and Cody Gakpo and looked set to finish as runners-up in Group D.
However, Marcel Sabitzer's late strike secured Ralf Rangnick's side top spot, as Koeman's team finished in third following France's 1-1 draw with Poland as a potential meeting with England in the last-16 beckons.
"I am ultimately responsible. I put this team together because I thought it was the best. But that wasn't the case," said Koeman.
"I'm also disappointed in myself that we're starting (games) like this. I thought the beginning was a poor performance, but not the entire match.
"We knew that they play with high backs, so we indicated: close that passing line. Then the back zone must hold. But if one or the other doesn't happen, this is what you get.
"During the match I also tried to say that central defenders should pick up the emerging backs. The communication was also one of the bad things, especially at the beginning of the match."
The Netherlands lost their first group stage game at the Euros since 2012 against Portugal (2-1), and captain Virgil Van Dijk insists that something has to change quickly heading into the knockout rounds.
"We started the match weakly, in possession of the ball and in our duels. Then you are behind the game. We lacked energy.
"We talked about it at halftime. This is incomprehensible, at a finals tournament. I have no explanation for this at the moment. We all have to do a lot more for this is bad.
"If we want to achieve something at this European Championship, something has to change very quickly. We are all responsible for this."
For Austria, they have now reached the knockout stages in their last two appearances at the European Championships, having failed to do so in their previous two editions of the competition (2008 and 2016).
Sabitzer, who became the first Austrian to play 10 matches at the European Championships, knows his side must now calm down ahead of the knockout rounds.
"If you beat the Netherlands and win the group, then you can't be that bad," Sabitzer said. "For us, the most important thing was to advance, and we managed that. Now we need to calm down, clear our heads and then keep attacking.
"In football, things often happen quickly, you have ups and downs. I think that's normal. The question is how you deal with it.
"I've worked very well in the last few days, the team supports me very well. When you win like that, win the group, score the winning goal, it doesn't get any better than that.
"I give everything for the team, always want to help with assists and goals, and if that happens as a side effect, it's very nice.
"You can see that we rotate through the team and nothing is missed, everyone knows their position and what they have to do."
Genoa 0-3 Juventus: Vlahovic double ends goal-drought to send visitors top of Serie A
Dusan Vlahovic scored twice to help Juventus to a 3-0 win at Genoa in Serie A as Thiago Motta's side moved top of the standings.
Vlahovic scored Juventus' first goal in four league games when he converted from the spot after they were awarded a penalty for a handball following half-time.
He added his second in the 55th minute from a tight angle after Teun Koopmeiners found the Serbian striker on the edge of the box with a deep cross-field pass.
Substitute Francisco Conceicao then sealed the win with a low, one-touch finish late on.
The game in Genoa was played behind closed doors after crowd violence during their Coppa Italia fixture against Serie B side Sampdoria left more than 50 people injured.
Juventus, who drew each of their last three league games 0-0, top the table with 12 points from six games, one point ahead of second-placed Torino who host Lazio on Sunday.
Data Debrief: Vlahovic gets Juventus firing
Vlahovic broke the deadlock on Saturday and is now only one of the two players to score at least two braces in Serie A this season, level with Marcus Thuram.
The Serbian was bound to score from the sport having converted 18 of his 22 penalties taken in Serie A, including his last three in 2024.
Fellow goalscorer Conceicao scored 8,252 days after his father, Sergio, last bagged in Serie A on 24 February 2002, meanwhile, for Inter against Udinese.
Manning, daCosta Cup matches for Saturday postponed as referees withdraw services
All 30 games scheduled across the ISSA Manning and daCosta Cup competitions scheduled for Saturday have been called off due to referees refusing to work.
ISSA Competitions Officer Euan Scott confirmed the postponement of games scheduled for today.
Referees have opted to take strike action in relation to a pair of incidents that occurred in the daCosta Cup over the last few weeks.
One incident occurred during a game between Dinthill Technical and McGrath High last Saturday when a referee was involved in a confrontation with Dinthill players Maalick Whyte, Shamair Hutchinson and Tyrese Gowe after the game.
The referee was then allegedly physically assaulted by one of the players.
In a release on Thursday, after a meeting of its disciplinary committee, ISSA revealed that Whyte and Hutchinson have been banned from participating in any ISSA-run competitions for one year, effective September 26, 2024 while Gowe was hit with the three-match suspension.
The Linstead-based school was also placed on a three-year probation and faces the possibility of suspension should its players breach the disciplinary code of conduct within the period of probation.
The other incident occurred on September 14 when assistant referee Richard Ball allegedly was struck in the chest by a missile thrown from a group of spectators during a Zone A daCosta Cup game between Maldon High and Cornwall College.
Attempts by Sportsmax.tv to contact ISSA President Keith Wellington proved futile.
Everton 2-1 Crystal Palace: McNeil's brace secures first win of the season
Dwight McNeil’s brace secured Everton’s first three points of the Premier League season, as Sean Dyche's team completed a comeback of their own in a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.
Amid news of a new takeover attempt at Everton during the week, the hosts also provided renewed hope on the pitch, as they continued their fine form against Palace at Goodison Park.
Marc Guehi gave the visitors an early lead, poking home at the near post, seeming to signal the continuation of Everton’s woes.
But Dyche’s side rallied after the break, with McNeil hitting the back of the net with a delightful long-range strike in the 47th minute before adding a second at the far post just seven minutes later.
Abdoulaye Doucoure had the opportunity to put the game to bed 10 minutes from the end as Dominic Calvert-Lewin set him through on goal, but a last-ditch challenge from Lacroix spared Palace’s blushes.
The win lifts Everton out of the relegation zone and into 16th, leapfrogging their opponents, who drop to 17th.
Data Debrief: Dyche's men comeback against the odds
Having dropped points from a winning position in their last three matches, Everton's win was the first time they had picked up three points after trailing at half-time in the Premier League since 19th May 2022 against the same opponents.
Meanwhile, it is the first time Crystal Palace have lost an away game after leading at half-time in the Premier League since August 2022 against Manchester City.
It leaves the visitors without a win in their last six games in the Premier League. Their last longer winless streak was from 11 November 2023 to 27 December 2023, a run of eight games.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
