Rising star Kees Smit is confidently looking forward to the final of the European Championship for players under nineteen years old. The AZ midfielder is already dreaming aloud of winning the final and playing a leading role in the final match against Spain.
“It’s great to be in the final,” Smit told UEFA’s media team after the semi-final victory. “When you start a tournament, you want to win it too. Now we are very close, so we can’t wait to play the final.”
The Netherlands under 19s have been a whirlwind in the tournament in Romania so far. After three resounding victories in the group stage, they won 3-1 against the home country in the semi-final. Smit, one of the standouts, scored another goal.
“My confidence is very high at the moment,” Smit said. “I want to score every game and fortunately I have been able to do so so far. I also want to score in the final, so if I get a good ball from my teammates, I am convinced that I will score again.”
‘We are not afraid of them’
In the final, Smit and his teammates will face Spain. That team won against Germany in the semi-final in a true goal fest: 6-5.
“I think Spain has a good team,” Smit said about the defending champion. “They have won against everyone so far, but we are not afraid of them.”
The Netherlands under 19s have only reached the final of the European Championship or its predecessors three times before: in 1948, 1949 and 1970. The Netherlands lost all three finals. The team can therefore make history in Romania on Thursday.