Netherlands vs Morocco lands in Monterrey 12 years after the disputed 2014 penalty that still shadows Dutch trips to México. Virgil Van Dijk said the squad had been warmly received and expected a lot of orange in the crowd on Monday in Monterrey.
“Creo que vas a ver mucho anaranjado mañana, hemos tenido una gran bienvenida en México, la información que tengo es diferente a la suya,” Van Dijk said at the Sunday news conference. He added: “Estoy al tanto de la historia, pero espero una gan bienvenida, un gran ambiente, aunque quizás estoy equivocado.”
Ronald Koeman and the orange turnout
Ronald Koeman pushed the same point from a different angle, saying, “Sabemos que traemos muchos aficionados, el autobús naranja, que llega a todos los sitios, trae mucha gente.” He also said, “Nos respalda mucha gente. seguramente muchos llevarán algo naranja en el campo.” That frames the trip as more than a neutral-site match: the Dutch expect visible support even in a city where the memory of No era penal still hangs over the visit.
June 29, 2014 in Fortaleza
The match that built that memory came on June 29, 2014, when México and the Netherlands met in a World Cup round-of-16 game in Fortaleza, Brazil. Giovani dos Santos put México ahead with a left-footed shot from outside the area, Wesley Sneijder equalized in the 88th minute, and Arjen Robben went down in the penalty area near the end of stoppage time.
Pedro Proenca awarded the penalty, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar converted, and the phrase No era penal spread on Twitter immediately after the call. The backlash traveled beyond the pitch: KLM posted “¡Adiós amigos!” in a mocking tone, and Gael García Bernal said on Twitter that he would never fly with KLM again.
Monterrey and the Dutch crowd
FIFA said more than 20,000 Dutch fans would travel from Kansas City to support the team, which gives the Monterrey crowd a built-in orange block before the match even starts. For the Netherlands, that means the reception should be split between the welcome Van Dijk described and the resentment that never left the 2014 penalty behind.
Whether the Monterrey crowd actually leans toward support or resentment is the last unresolved piece, and it will only show once the teams take the field on Monday. The Netherlands arrive with a large traveling base, but the old chant still has a way of returning when México is the opponent.
