‘Shameful performance’ – Rafael van der Vaart rips Virgil van Dijk as Liverpool star’s ‘lazy’ defense goes viral

Dutch icon Rafael van der Vaart attacked Virgil van Dijk after the shock 3-2 defeat to Austria.

Ronald Koeman’s side were on the wrong end of a five-goal thriller in Berlin to see them finish third in Group D.

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With France deadlocked against Poland, the Netherlands could have gone top of the group had they gained at least a point in Tuesday’s clash.

But they finished second to Ralf Rangnick’s men, with Liverpool skipper Van Dijk guilty of Austria’s winning goal.

The 32-year-old was caught behind his defensive line, which saw Marcel Sabitzer onside as he headed towards goal before crashing into the roof of the net.

The footage quickly went viral, with fans calling his defense “lazy” on social media.

And Van der Vaart, who was part of the Dutch team that reached the 2010 World Cup final, objected to Van Dijk’s post-match interview.

Speaking to Dutch broadcaster NOS after the defeat, Van Dijk said: “It was a very bad game, in every way.

“We started weak, with the ball, but also in the duels. Then you are behind. It was just a bad evening.”

Before adding: “We need to do much better, that’s clear.”

Comparing his comments to Holland’s performance, Van der Vaart said: “We played like Virgil van Dijk just spoke!

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“There must be some venom in there because it was a shame today.

“We just had to witness a shameful performance!

“I would like to see that from a captain in his interviews. I want to see passion! The way I speak now.”

He continued: “It’s a very deserved defeat. The second half started a little better, and then you see that Austria are a good team, but also a very normal team.

“You play a little bit well and then you catch them straight away.

“It is also the absolute will. You come back and you get those balls again. It’s unbelievable, it’s such a shame.”

The stats are grim for Van Dijk, who failed to make a single tackle against Austria.

This is in addition to the fact that he has not won any of his ground duels, while boasting zero interceptions.

As well as losing four aerial duels, he also struggled with the ball at his feet, losing the ball on five occasions.

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