The Netherlands coach, Ronald Koeman, announced his resignation on Tuesday, the day after his team was eliminated in the round of 32 of the World Cup by Morocco (1-1, 3-2 on penalties).

"I made the decision last night to end my mandate as coach of the Netherlands national team," the former central defender, who had been in office since 2023, announced in a statement published on Instagram.

The Oranje, who, as in every World Cup, wanted to play leading roles after having failed three times in finals (1974, 1978 and 2010), were eliminated Monday night on penalties in Monterrey, at the end of one of the best matches played since the start of the tournament.

"We all shared the dream of making history at this World Cup, but we failed," said Koeman, who had a first stint as head coach of the national team between 2018 and 2020.

"No one is more disappointed than me. As the coach, I am responsible for it," he continued.

Quarter-finalists in 2022, the Dutch came out first in their group F. Held to a draw by Japan (2-2) on the first day, the Oranje then crushed Sweden (5-1) and easily passed the Tunisian obstacle (3-1).

On Monday, the round of 32 clash against Morocco was a battle of rare intensity.

Dutchman Cody Gakpo opened the scoring at the end of a lightning-fast counter-attack, assisted by Crysencio Summerville who was brought down in the box. Dominating possession, Morocco were thwarted for much of the match by an imperious Bart Verbruggen in the Dutch goal, before Issa Diop equalized in stoppage time (90+1).

The game was decided by a penalty shootout, which was marked by three misses on the Dutch side.