Memphis Depay felt defeated in the Netherlands' 0-0 draw with Poland after missing a possibly game-winning penalty in second-half stoppage time.
Poland started without Robert Lewandowski on the bench, but went ahead in the first half thanks to Matty Cash, and expanded their lead four minutes after the restart at De Kuip thanks to Piotr Zielinski.
Davy Klaassen and Denzel Dumfries scored five minutes later to restore parity, and Cash's handball allowed Depay a chance to win the Nations League Group A4 match.
The Barcelona attacker's penalty attempt, though, struck the post, becoming him the first Dutch player to miss three penalties.
"I missed it, which is something that can happen." Depay told NOS, "I had the winner on my foot but didn't score it."
"I practice penalty kicks and score them on a regular basis." It just has to go in, because if it doesn't, we'll lose the game. It now feels like a loss.
"They sat back, particularly in the first half, and the gaps are tight." They also seized the lead when they hadn't had much of a chance up until that point, and they were 10 [players] behind the ball at the time.
"At halftime, we emphasized we had to be cool. [Poland's 2-0 lead] was a shock. We persevered, kept playing football, and never lost faith in ourselves, although it was difficult."
After failing to score the goal he needed to tie Klaas-Jan Huntelaar for second place on the Netherlands' all-time scoring record, Depay denied that wearing the captain's armband created any pressure.
He stated, "I don't believe one has anything to do with the other." "Whether I'm captain or not, I always want to do well on the field." This wasn't the case this time, but anything can happen."
Because Belgium was held to a 1-1 draw by Wales, the Netherlands maintained their three-point lead at the top of the group.
The tone in the dressing room was gloomy, but Louis van Gaal was thrilled with his team's will to mount a comeback.
"Memphis didn't give it his all. At the end, he should've scored the game-winner. Fortunately, it's happening right now. Van Gaal stated, "He will get them in at the World Cup."
"After the game, the lads sat in the locker room as if they had lost, but we came back from a 2-0 deficit." This was the first time we faced a defense with ten guys on the field.
"I'm extremely proud of my team's tenacity, spirit, and performance in the second half."