The streets of Berlin are awash with orange as jubilant Dutch soccer fans celebrate their national team’s advance to the Euro 2024 semifinals.
Following a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Turkey, the Netherlands now faces England in a highly anticipated match. Amid the festivities, supporters remain confident of their chances against the Three Lions and beyond, while also expressing warm sentiments towards Israel.
The great excitement among the orange-clad crowd after the game was because they returned to the final four for the first time in 20 years.
The Dutch love Israel, at least based on those I met. In the square where the fans of the beloved team gathered, I met Joop, a 22-year-old who works for ESPN Netherlands. When I told him I was from Israel, he gave me a wide smile and said he hoped Israel would one day qualify for a major tournament.
When I returned to the hotel hungry, I sat at the bar and ordered a cheese platter. It was the only thing left at 1 a.m. Next to me sat three Dutch guys, all from Eindhoven.
When Alexander heard I was from Israel, he looked at me and said, “Kill them [Hamas] all,” making it clear which side he had chosen since the Oct. 7 onslaught on Israel. I asked if he had been to Tel Aviv. “At least 20 times,” he replied.
Alexander had been to all of the Netherlands’ games so far. I told him a tough match awaits on Wednesday and he replied: “England is not our problem, we will beat them.” It might be the beers, maybe mind-altering substances, but the Dutch have optimism in abundance right now.
At the Dutch press conference, coach Ronald Koeman and outstanding player Stefan de Vrij, who plays his club soccer as a center-back for Inter Milan, gave a lot of respect to England, but said they believe they can return again to Berlin next Sunday, for the final.
And what about the Turks?
Usually, politicians don’t do much good for their team when they come to a soccer game. This is what turned out in the game attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. His team said goodbye to the tournament. It did take the lead and looked good for quite a few minutes. One can, from a non-political view, applaud them for the performances they provided over the last three weeks, but in the second half, Turkey failed to withstand the pressure from the Dutch and ended the evening in tears.
During the game, a young Turkish journalist wearing a Turkish team shirt with four signatures, including that of the captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu, who also plays for Inter Milan, sat next to me. He noticed on my computer that I was from Israel.
In the end, as we parted, he gave me a Turkey team scarf but didn’t agree to be photographed with me. Apparently, quite a few Turks live in fear, especially when the all-powerful leader is in the stadium in Berlin.
Originally published by Israel Hayom.