The Dutch knew only victory would do in the Amsterdam Arena and even then they needed third-placed Turkey to lose to Iceland to clinch third place themselves and a play-off spot in Group A.
“You have to look to the future now,” their manager, Danny Blind, said. “This is very disappointing for the players, for me, for the Netherlands but we have to look ahead and the new goal is qualifying for [the World Cup in] Russia. I am confident in myself,” he said.
Goals from Pavel Kaderabek and Josef Sural, however, put the Czechs 2-0 up inside half an hour and while the visitors were reduced to 10 men when Marek Suchy was sent off before half-time, Holland failed to capitalise.
Instead, Robin van Persie, on as a substitute in the 38th minute, headed an own goal to put the result beyond doubt, before Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Van Persie scored late on. In any case, Turkey ran out 1-0 winners, and secured their place at Euro 2016 as best third-placed team thanks to Kazakhstan’s victory in Latvia.
It is the first time Holland have failed to qualify for a major tournament since they missed the 2002 World Cup and attention will swiftly turn to the future of Blind.
The Dutch Football Association insisted he would remain in charge regardless of the team’s fate but pressure is sure to mount, with Southampton manager Ronald Koeman a potential alternative.
Blind’s side began with the gusto of a team who believed and Anwar El Ghazi should have opened the scoring within 40 seconds when he was slid in down the right-hand side, but he drilled straight at the keeper when he had time to carry the ball closer.
The Czechs struggled to gain a foothold and they were spared again soon after when El Ghazi’s low cross found the incoming Wesley Sneijder, but he ballooned the ball over the crossbar.
As threatening as they were going forward, Holland were jittery at the back as goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet fumbled the ball amidst a crowd of players and was relieved to see Theodor Gebre Selassie prod over from close range.
The warning signs went unheeded, however, as the Czechs stunned the home crowd by breaking the deadlock in the 24th minute when Kaderabek lifted the ball past Zoet at the near post.
There was worse to come for the home side, whose defensive frailties were again exposed 11 minutes later when a simple throw-in found its way to Sural, who ghosted past Virgil van Dijk before poking the ball into the net for a two-goal lead.
Immediately, Van Persie was thrown into the fray, and hopes of a comeback increased when Suchy was sent off just before the break, after bringing down Memphis Depay when the forward appeared to be in on goal.
Instead, however it proved Holland’s undoing as Van Persie’s cushioned header from a cross flew straight past Zoet for an own goal.
There was a late rally as Huntelaar powered home a header and then Van Persie scored but it was too little, too late and as news filtered through that Turkey had snatched a late victory against Iceland, the Dutch knew their time was finally up. Wesley Sneijder, the Holland captain, told Dutch NOS radio afterwards: “The truth is we gave it away. We needed to be disciplined and sharp because we weren’t going to get too many chances. We knew it would be tough but to so easily concede goals meant it was all over for us early in the game.”
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