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Frenkie de Jong has said that the Netherlands will keep a ‘special eye’ on Cristiano Ronaldo when they meet Portugal in the final of the inaugural Nations League .
England's hopes of a first trophy in 53 years went up in smoke in calamitous fashion as dreadful defending allowed Holland to seal a 3-1 extra-time victory and progress to the inaugural Nations League final.
Marcus Rashford's first-half penalty was cancelled out by Matthijs De Ligt, before two late goals from Quincy Promes sent the Dutch into Sunday’s final.
And 22-year-old midfielder De Jong, who shone in the middle against England, has revealed that the Netherlands will be keeping a close eye on Ronaldo after his hat-trick eliminated Switzerland.
“Portugal have a lot of really good players,” De Jong said after the win over England. “I saw a bit of the Switzerland game and obviously Ronaldo made the difference; we'll have to keep a special eye on him.”
England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-finalShow all 70 1 /70England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final John Stones looks on dejected after Netherlands' scored their second goal after a mistake by the defender
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final England and Netherlands observe a minute's silence for former UEFA president Lennart Johansson
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Managers embrace at the beginning of the match
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final England captain Raheem Sterling surrounded by Dutch players Frenkie de Jong and Daley Blind
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Jordan Pickford makes a save
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Harry Kane watches on from the bench
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Matthijs de Ligt fouls Marcus Rashford in the penalty area
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final England awarded a penalty Against the run of play on the half hour mark
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Rashford stepped up to take the penalty after drawing the foul
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final The Manchester United striker slotted the ball calmly past Jasper Cillessen
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Rashford celebrates scoring England's first goal with Jadon Sancho
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final English fans celebrating
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Virgil van Dijk gestures during the match
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final England head coach Gareth Southgate and backroom staff on the bench
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Denzel Dumfries clatters into Ben Chilwell
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Ben Chilwell lays on the floor after the foul
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Ben Chilwell in need of treatment
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Jordan Pickford goes in with a high foot on Memphis Depay
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Dumfries tackles Rashford
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Marcus Rashford goes down injured
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Virgil Van Dijk shouts
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Memphis Depay tries a bicycle kick
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Jadon Sancho, unmarked, heads the ball toward goal
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Cillessen saves the shot easily
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Sancho shows his disappointment after the missed chance
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Harry Kane was bought on for injured Rashford
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Jesse Lingard substituted on for Sancho
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Koeman controls the ball on the touchine
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Harry Kane fouls Daley Blind and is awarded a yellow card
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Kane checking on Blind
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Matthijs de Ligt scores Netherlands' first goal
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final De Ligt rise beats Kyle Walker and John Stones to head the ball
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final The 19-year-old celebrates scoring the equaliser
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Declan Rice reacts after England concede
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Matthijs de Ligt celebrates with teammates after scoring
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final England players appear dejected after Netherlands equalised
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Ross Barkley sets up Jesse Lingard on goal
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Lingard slots past Cillessen
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Lingard celebrates scoring
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final England celebrate
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Netherlands players protest to the referee Clement Turpin
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final ..who checks with VAR for offside, which confirms it was
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final VAR graphic showis Lingard marginally offside
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Kane reacts after a miss
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Southgate gives instructions to Jordan Henderson, who came on for Fabian Delph, before the start of extra time
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Memphis Depay takes the ball off John Stones and goes on to shoot
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Pickford's save from Depay's shot landed in Quincy Promes run and his shot then deflects off Kyle Walker
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final The ball beats Jordan Pickford and the Netherlands' score their second goal
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Quincy Promes celebrates
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Pickford reacts after conceding
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Promes celebrates the second goal
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Stones looks dejected after giving the ball away
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final His England team mates stand on the half way line after conceding
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Southgate comforts the defender during half time of extra time
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Quincy Promes scores Netherlands' third
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Promes celebrates scoring with Depay who set him up
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Southgate reacts after England conceded their third goal
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Netherlands celebrate scoring their third
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Henderson, Pickford and Harry Maguire react after conceding
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final An England fan looks on dejected
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final England captains on the night react after they lost the match 3-1
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England vs Netherlands: Nations League semi-final Southgate hugs Stones after the match
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De Jong, who will join Barcelona from Ajax this summer, also shot down the suggestion that the Dutch will be fatigued after their extra-time win.
“Fatigue may have been an issue if we'd lost but not with a win. We're all pretty fit and we haven't had many games recently,” he said.
“One of our big plus points is that we keep going. We all run for each other and never give up. It's not the first time we've come from behind.”
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