11 September,2014 08:25 AM IST | | AFP
The Netherlands coach Guus Hiddink was so enraged after his team's last-minute loss to the Czech Republic on Tuesday he had to take time to calm down ahead of a television interview
Netherlands' Robin van Persie (right) heads the ball away from Czech defender Michal Kadlec during their Euro 2016 qualifier. Pic/AFP
The Hague: The Netherlands coach Guus Hiddink was so enraged after his team's last-minute loss to the Czech Republic on Tuesday he had to take time to calm down ahead of a television interview.
Netherlands' Robin van Persie (right) heads the ball away from Czech defender Michal Kadlec during their Euro 2016 qualifier. Pic/AFP
The newly-appointed Hiddink's emotional outburst followed Holland's stoppage-time 2-1 defeat in their opening Euro 2016 qualifying Group A fixture. "I was raging with anger.
I needed to calm down," Hiddink said after arriving more than half-an-hour late for an interview with Dutch public broadcaster NOS. "You can't lose like this in the last second. That's why I've stayed away a bit longer," a clearly annoyed Hiddink said.
"Surely you can go home with a 1-1 score? That's fine. But we stupidly gave it away. I'm seething with anger again," he said.
In a heated exchange with NOS presenter Jack van Gelder why the "Oranjes" started with a 5-3-2 system and not a more attacking 4-3-3 formation, Hiddink angrily retorted: "You yourself this week told me: 'perhaps we should fall back'."
The winning goal came when Daryl Janmaat fumbled a header back towards Dutch goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen in the dying moments of the game. The ball hit the post, rebounded past a diving Cillessen, and Viktoria Pilsen winger Vaclav Pilar had an easy job sending it into the gaping net.
The Dutch finished third at the World Cup in Brazil but have since seen Hiddink replace Louis van Gaal as coach and his second spell as national coach began with a 2-0 friendly defeat to Italy last week.
