In the end, the semi-finals of Euro 2024 were as far as the Oranje could go, but that is hardly a disgrace.
In fact, Ronald Koeman and his players can take heart from their displays in Germany over the past month.
Their bid to end a tournament drought going back to 1988 may have continued (as largely expected), but they surpassed many expectations by reaching the final four.
Make no mistake – they were also done by a ridiculous decision in their last-gasp semi-final defeat to England.
Leading 1-0, the penalty that was awarded against them was as farcical as it was harsh, prompting centre back Virgil van Dijk to slam the officiating of the contest and remark that that referee Felix Zwayer’s reluctance to engage with the Dutch players and coaching staff after the full-time whistle spoke volumes.
Whether or not that is the case, the penalty decision is one which should not happen in a game of such magnitude and meant they headed home with a darkened mood.
It was a sad end for the legions of Dutch supporters who created a sea of orange wherever they went into and provided their team with energy throughout.
An estimated 100,000 supporters from the Netherlands travelled to Dortmund for the semi-final, despite only 10,000 tickets being available, while the remaining fans participated in a ‘fan walk’ to the stadium and watched the game on TV screens placed throughout the city.
The players fed off that passion at times and, while they ultimately came up short, they emerge from the past four weeks with Euro 2024 highlights and renewed pride.
Amidst a suggestion they were not technical enough in key areas to ensure victory at the latter stages of a tournament, it must be remembered this is not a vintage Duch cohort.
As the now retired Louis van Gaal did at the 2022 World Cup little over 18 months ago, Koeman probably got more out of his players and made them collectively stronger than the sum of their parts.
He has since issued a heartfelt thank you to all those who supported a squad which was without star midfielder Frenkie de Jong for the entire tournament and also had Memphis Depay wrestling with injury issues.
Barcelona midfielder de Jong was ruled out just before the start after failing to overcome an ankle injury. It was probably the most significant pre-tournament setback for any of the 24 competing nations— De Jong was the Dutch midfield, with his elite press resistance making him one of the best No 6s in the world.
Teun Koopmeiners, his possible replacement, was then ruled out with a muscle injury suffered in the warm-up before the Netherlands’ final friendly game before the tournament.
Longer term for the Dutch, there is much to be optimistic about going forward.
Defensive solidity has historically been an important factor and, with van Dijk leading a first-choice back four featuring the experience of Nathan Ake and Stefan de Vrij, and the attacking ambition of Denzel Dumfries, there is genuine talent – that is without even mentioning the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Micky van de Ven and Jeremie Frimpong who were often named on the bench to this SBOTOP observer’s surprise.
There is also promise in attack with Depay and Cody Gakpo – the joint top scorer at the tournament with three goals – if not quite the marksmen of the calibre of Holand legends Marco van Basten, Denis Bergkamp, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Robin van Persie.
All in all, then, much for Koeman to work with.
There was a degree of apathy when he was reappointed coach in April 2022 and the 61 year-old has faced intense criticism throughout the tournament – particularly after a group stage 3-2 defeat to Austria in their final Group C game – but he can brush that off with ease and, by staying on as coach, he and his team will be firmly setting their sights on the 2026 World Cup.
Before all of that, they compete in the Nations League with home matches against Bosnia in Eindhoven on September 7 and Germany in Amsterdam three days later.
The 2024 version of Holland is far from top tier but they could be by the time 2026 comes around.
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