Dutch boss Koeman says silencing Turkish fans key to victory

Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman says silencing Turkey’s boisterous supporters will be key to their success in Saturday’s Euro 2024 quarter-final.

A large Turkish diaspora in Germany means the national team has been backed in great number in all of their games so far and that is likely to continue in Berlin.

“I’ve got some experience against Turkish teams, the atmosphere is always great,” Koeman said.

“We just need to keep the ball and they will become quiet. You need to be cool, business-like and play your game.”

Netherlands have had an up-and-down tournament so far, only reaching the knockout stages as one of the best third-place sides before sweeping past Romania in the last-16.

Koeman says that is more to do with the quality of the opposition than any failings by his players, highlighting how other large nations have struggled for fluency at the tournament

“The last match was at a really good level football-wise, if we keep that level then it can be a really good tournament for us,” he said.

“Every match is difficult, all the big teams have struggled in different matches to win them. England scored in the last seconds, Portugal won on penalties. You have to fight for it.”