A legend has suggested one Manchester City player was let down by his teammates in the game between England and the Netherlands.
England will face Spain in Berlin in Sunday and bid to end 58 years of hurt, after getting past the Dutch in Dortmund.
City trio Kyle Walker, John Stones and Phil Foden will have the chance to add yet another trophy to their cabinets. But they will face a stern challenge in Rodri’s Spain side.
One man whose hopes of a European Championship ended on Wednesday night was Nathan Ake.
Ake generally had quite a decent tournament for his country. He was particularly good in the first couple games.
Against England, he did have his finest outing, but he did receive some sympathy from a Dutch legend.
Ronald de Boer claims Nathan Ake was ‘put in an awkward position’ by his teammates against England
England enjoyed a great first-half against the Netherlands.
Foden was arguably the brightest he has been all tournament, picking the ball up in pockets of space as he so often does for City.
The goal from Xavi Simons was a frustration. But England showed good character to get back into the game, although the award of the penalty for Harry Kane was controversial.
In the second-half, it was a bit more even, before Ollie Watkins scored his stunning winning.
From a Netherlands point of view, Ronald de Boer actually felt as though Ake was let down by his own teammates at times.
Giving the City defender a rating of 6/10, he said (via Voetbal Primeur): “Solid, didn’t do much wrong.
“He had a lot of trouble with Bukayo Saka, but at the beginning everyone came too late. In my view, Aké was regularly put in awkward positions by his fellow players.”
Heartache for Ake
While City fans are delighted for Walker, Stones and Foden, there is also some sympathy for Ake.
City’s £41 million signing gave a good account of himself out in Germany and can be fairly pleased with how he got on.
Against England, it was always going to be tricky for him with Bukayo Saka a nightmare for any full-back to play against.
The City man has done a job on him in the Premier League before, but on Wednesday the Arsenal ace perhaps shaded their head-to-head.
After licking his wounds, Ake will surely be tuning in to watch Sunday’s final to see which of his teammates will be returning to the Etihad a Euro 2024 victor.
