Netherlands coach Van Gaal resigns after Friday’s loss to Argentina

After Friday’s loss to Argentina on penalties in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals, Louis van Gaal, who had unexpectedly returned to the dugout 16 months ago, announced his resignation as Netherlands manager.

Van Gaal had come out of retirement to manage the Dutch for a third spell, but is now 71 and recently battled cancer. Like at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, his team’s hopes of glory were ended by a shoot-out defeat to Argentina, as a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina triumphed over his Oranje side.

“I will not be continuing as head coach – I only did it for this term, so this was my very last match,” he said in the post-match press conference.

“I’ve had a wonderful time. It’s incredibly painful to see how we’ve been eliminated, particularly because I did everything I could to prevent it happen.