Van Dijk never doubted Netherlands would win
Virgil van Dijk never had any doubts over Netherlands in its UEFA Euro 2024 quarter-finals, in which it moved "one step closer" with a comeback victory over Turkiye.
The Oranje fell behind to Samet Akaydin's 35th-minute opener as Turkiye scored its fourth UEFA Euro 2024 goal form a defender, the most by any nation in a single edition of the European championships.
Yet Stefan de Vrij levelled with a thumping 70th-minute header, his first international goal since March 2015 against Spain, before Mert Muldur bundled into his own net just six minutes later.
That secured a sem-final clash with England as Netherlands reached the last four at this competition for the first time since 2004.
Dutch captain Van Dijk, however, expected his side to manage so.
"You know they're going to take a lot of risks, but now we're in the semi-finals," Van Dijk said.
"This is very important and very beautiful, with such a crowd. We knew there would be a lot of Turks in the stadium, but I'm proud of these guys.
"In the end we got sloppy, but actually we didn't give anything away. In the second half, we had to stay calm and take advantage of our chances.
"Of course, we thought it would be fine, it would be very bad if we didn't think so! We are one step closer. We can get to work."
This was the only European championships quarter-final clash to not go to extra-time, although that looked likely when De Vrij levelled from Memphis Depay's angled cross.
"It was a great ball from Memphis and I was free, and I was convinced I had to put it in," De Vrij said of his goal.
"Initially we were sloppy, with too much loss of ball possession. They pushed us back and then we went behind to the header from a corner, but we kept believing.
"You've seen in other games that goals can come late. And so it came for us too."