Virgil van Dijk openly “criticized” his teammates following a narrow 3-2 win over Lithuania, stating that the Dutch team still has many issues to resolve if they want to advance further.

The Netherlands national team just went through a forgettable match, scraping a 3-2 victory against Lithuania, a team ranked 143rd by FIFA, in the World Cup qualifiers.

Playing at home, Oranje started well by quickly taking a 2-0 lead thanks to standout performances from Memphis Depay and Cody Gakpo. However, complacency and defensive mistakes cost the Netherlands dearly. Within the last seven minutes of the first half, Lithuania unexpectedly scored twice to level the match at 2-2. It was only in the 63rd minute that Depay completed his brace, securing a hard-earned win for the Dutch side.

After the match, the captain Virgil van Dijk could not hide his disappointment. The Liverpool defender candidly admitted that the team’s overall performance was “alarming”: “We had a 2-0 advantage but allowed the opponent to equalize too easily. That is clearly unacceptable. The key is to get three points, but if we want to go far, this must never happen again.”

Van Dijk also called on the entire squad to seriously reflect on themselves: “We need to look in the mirror and improve. An evening like this shouldn’t happen. Are we strict enough with each other? Yes. We will review the footage, have honest discussions, and when we meet again at the next training camp, the whole team must correct mistakes and work together properly.”

The win over Lithuania came just days after the Netherlands drew 1-1 with Poland. Currently, both teams share the top spot with equal points, but Ronald Koeman’s squad still holds the advantage of one game in hand.

In October, the Netherlands will face Malta and Finland before two crucial matches in November, traveling to Poland and then hosting Lithuania. This period will be decisive for the goal of topping the group and proving the true strength of the “Orange Fury” after some unconvincing recent performances.

Despite earning all three points against Lithuania, Van Dijk’s warning sounded an alarm about the flaws in the Dutch team’s play. From lapses in defensive concentration to difficulties maintaining tempo and ball control, the “Orange Fury” still has a lot to improve if they want to compete fairly with Europe’s elite clubs.