Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk slammed his side’s defensive performance, claiming they lacked courage, as the Dutch moved to the brink of elimination from the 2012 European Championships after a 2-1 loss to Germany.
Mario Gomez hit a double to put Die Mannschaft on their way to victory, before Robin van Persie pulled a goal back to haul Oranje back into the contest.
However it ended 2-1, leaving the Dutch pointless after two games and needed a minor miracle to progress. Germany top the group on six points, while Portugal and Denmark are next on three points apiece.
The Netherlands take on Portugal in their final group game, needing a win and for Denmark to fail against Germany.
“We were more courageous going forward, but we weren’t strong enough or courageous enough in defence,” van Marwijk told reporters.
Van Marwijk was happy with the second-half impact of substitutes Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Rafael Van Der Vaart, while he was giving up hope of progressing just yet.
“We still have a chance to go through and we have to believe in it,” he said.
“Thousands of fans have come here and we have to do well for them, we have to beat Portugal now to have a chance.”