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The Dutch drew 1-1 with the U.S. to finish
ahead of them atop Group E. The Americans were then eliminated
by Sweden in the last-16, the first time in history they had
gone out before the tournament semi-finals.
"The first moment when I heard that they were out, I was just
thinking yes, because from the start of this tournament they
have already a really big mouth, they were talking already about
the final and stuff," said Beerensteyn, who scored in the
Netherlands' 2-0 last-16 win over South Africa.
"I was just thinking you first have to show it on the pitch
before you're talking. And I'm not being rude in that way. I
have still a lot of respect for them. But now they are out of
the tournament."
The Netherlands were eliminated in the semi-finals by the U.S.
at the World Cup four years ago.
"For me, yeah, it's a relief and for them, it's a thing that
they have to take with them in the future," the Juventus striker
said. "Don't start to talk about something that's far away and I
hope that they will learn from that."
The Americans have suffered a backlash since their shock exit. A
pre-tournament ad by U.S. World Cup broadcaster Fox Sports has
been lambasted by fans as "arrogant." The ad opened with the
line: "The whole world is wondering, what's it going to take to
stop this US team?"
The ad then shows a number of national stereotypes including a
Londoner riding a bus on a rainy day, and an Italian in a
leather jacket with binoculars, suggesting "Maybe we can steal
their plays" as a drone with Italian flags flies over a USA
training session.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing in Sydney; Editing by Simon
Cameron-Moore)
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