De Ridder proves his point

Netherlands hero Daniël de Ridder felt he had a point to prove after coming off the bench to score the only goal against Italy and earn the Jong Oranje a UEFA European Under-21 Championship semi-final against fancied France.

Winning formula
The RC Celta de Vigo attacker appeared in all 12 qualifying matches en route to Portugal and also started both Group B games prior to last night's decider, yet was initially overlooked as Foppe de Haan sought a winning formula after a defeat by Ukraine and draw with Denmark. "I found out that I wasn't in the starting team in the morning which was disappointing but that's the coach's decision as he felt that I didn't play too well in the opening games," De Ridder said.

Response
The 22-year-old former AFC Ajax man responded in the best possible fashion, scoring less than two minutes after replacing captain Stijn Schaars. "I think I proved myself when I came on," De Ridder told uefa.com. "It was an incredible feeling. I went on with the intention of making a difference, to help the team score a goal, but reaching the semi-finals was the most important thing from the match."

France praised
Like his coach, the goalscorer thinks the Netherlands "are getting better with every match" and can prepare for Thursday's meeting with the Group A winners France with rising confidence. "We started the tournament badly but this game showed how we want to play," De Ridder said. "France are a very good team but if we play like we did against Italy I think we have a very good chance."