“The moment I heard they were out, I just thought ‘Yes! Goodbye!’” the Dutchman said. The Americans, double defending champions, were eliminated in the round of 16 by Sweden, on penalties, their worst performance at a World Cup.
“Since the start of the tournament, they already had big mouths,” added Beerensteyn on the eve of the quarter-final between the Netherlands and Spain in Wellington (New Zealand). “They were already talking about the final”, but “I thought to myself you must already show on the ground before speaking”.
The Dutch were beaten in 2019 in the World Cup final by these same Americans (2-0). However, Lineth Beerensteyn does not want to be “rude” and always has “a lot of respect” for her competitors. “I hope they will learn lessons” from their early elimination, she added. During the group stage, the Netherlands and the United States parted ways in a 1-1 draw. The Dutch had also finished top of group E.