Netherlands – B. Zemden: “We gained the respect of the general public”

André OOIJER (13):

“I hope to play tomorrow because it’s my birthday. I don’t know if the coach knows it… but it would be a great gift. Although I didn’t get any playing time in the last match, I was just as disappointed as the others to not have made it to the final. But that’s the way it goes, you can’t win them all.”

Phillip COCU (11):

“At this point, I plan on focusing my energy on the challenges of playing for my new club, FC Barcelona. I have discussed this with other Dutch team players who play at Barcelona, as well as Ronald Koeman (assistant coach), who was a star there. I can’t wait to go to Spain. But be assured, I must stress that the World Cup and the Dutch national team are and will continue to be my top priority until the end of the competition. We still have to play and we must win this match for the third place.”

Dennis BERGKAMP (8):

“It’s hard for me to say whether or not our game was attractive. Our performance thus far in the World Cup makes it difficult to answer that question. All I know is that our game impressed the international and national press. As for my play, even though I wasn’t at the top of my form, I was nevertheless happy to have made some great plays during the competition. The ARGENTINA match wore me out and the heat in MARSEILLE had an adverse effect on my performance in the following match. All I want now is a storybook ending for this wonderful tournament. The idea of having to take an aeroplane (BERGKAMP has a fear of flying) for the 2002 World Cup scares me, but it isn’t something I need worry about right now.” He concludes jokingly.

Boudewin ZENDEN (12):

“It was disappointing enough to have lost to BRAZIL without the fact that it happened in the penalty shoot-out, which is a stroke of fate. We could have been playing in the final, but instead we’re just playing for third place. Although we lost to BRAZIL, we gained the respect of the general public and professionals alike for our offensive play. CROATIA has some excellent players like Davor SUKER (9), but we’re still going to play to win.”