The 2014 WEVZA Boys Tournament lived an emotional moment this Wednesday, during the second day of competition. Before the match between The Netherlands and Portugal, one minute of silence was observed to mourn the victims of the tragedy of flight MH17, that was downed last week in Ukraine causing 298 victims.
In total, 193 Dutch nationals died in the Boeing 777 travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down near Ukrainian city of Donetsk. To remember the victims of the tragedy, the government of The Netherlands had declared a day of public mourning, a situation that was transferred to the court of Polideportivo Pisuerga in Spanish city of Valladolid, as the Dutch youth national team faced its second match of the 2014 WEVZA Boys Tournament.
The oranje internationals wanted to pay tribute to their compatriots and requested the observation of one minute of silence before the match. Emotion filled the sports hall in Valladolid as both teams and staffs paid their respects for the memory of the victims of the tragedy.
The Netherlands could not finish the match with a victory and lost 3:1 against an inspired Portuguese squad. “We played with many ups and downs”, said Dutch head coach, Niels Plinck after the match.