At 0:00 on July 3, the Netherlands will face Romania in the round of 16 of the European Championship. Before the match, Dutch player Simons said in an interview with UEFA that the team will not think about revenge against Austria in advance, and said he knows his position in the team is key. 
In the last World Cup, Simons was still a young player who could only come off the bench. But at this European Championship, he has started all three group matches, starting in two of them. Regarding his role change, Simons said: “It feels special. In the Qatar World Cup, I was just a 19-year-old boy, it was my first time being selected for the Dutch national team. For this European Championship, I know I will play a key role in the team, which makes me very happy. As an athlete, all I think about is fighting for the country.”
“My idol is Neymar. When he was playing for Barcelona, I was growing up in Barcelona. I saw many of his games, he was my inspiration on the football field. Years later, I feel lucky to have played in the same team as him at the age of 16. It feels great to see him giving so much for the sport. He is a very good player.”
Regarding the team’s next opponent, Romania, Simons admitted: “I have been closely following the other team’s games, so I know some of the Romanian players. In addition, we will definitely analyze the specific situation of our opponent with the coach in more detail.”
“Of course I know the Netherlands might face Austria again in the quarter-finals. But I don’t want to look that far ahead, the focus now should be on Romania. Especially seeing their excellent performance in the group stage, we can’t underestimate them. Losing to Austria has been a wake-up call for us. If any team makes a mistake, you’re out.”
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