Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has revealed what he had to say to the players of Ajax after the defeat against Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-final of the competition.
The Dutch side had put themselves in a very favourable position after the first leg of the tie, following a 1-0 win in north London which saw them defend very well even though they wasted several golden chances to score more away goals.
In the second leg of the semi-final, Ajax went on to score two goals in the first half of the game to extend their lead on aggregate to 3-0.
But the drama unfolded after the restart as Spurs pulled back a couple of goals which were both scored by Lucas Moura.
Ajax appeared to be holding on for a place in the final against Liverpool until Moura found the back of the net with only seconds remaining in the game.
It was a very bitter blow for the Dutch side and Van Dijk has revealed what he had to say to the Ajax players.
“I couldn’t believe it either but I told them later they could be very proud of themselves,” he told the Guardian.
“If you’re very critical you can say Ajax gave it away in the second half because they didn’t play their own game.
“But they were outstanding this whole campaign and put Ajax and Dutch football back on the map.”