The Big Interview: Daphne van Domselaar
It's been a whirlwind 18 months for the Netherlands #1. Ahead of a UEFA Nations League showdown with Spain, the shot-stopper reflects on her rise to stardom, decision to join Aston Villa and more...
On Friday night, Daphne van Domselaar will be hoping not only to reach the final of the first UEFA Women’s Nations League when her Netherlands side face world champions Spain, but also book a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
While defeat may not rule them out of this summer’s showpiece worldwide event, pending the outcome of France vs Germany in the other semi-final, it would be a blow for a nation which has become used to the deep end of big tournaments, in their status of 2017 European champions and 2019 World Cup finalists.
Those days were pre-Van Domselaar, but the 23-year-old would be making it three major events in three successive summers should she help her side to Paris in Seville, against the side who ended their latest World Cup dream down under last August.
“You want to keep the same mindset, but of course I was overthinking…”
While that also goes for many of her teammates, it’s been a somewhat different journey for the talented shot-stopper, given this time two years ago was still a relative unknown to those outside her home nation, heading into the 2022 Euros in England as back-up to experienced number one Sari van Veenendaal.
But, in a story now familiar to those in the women’s game, and the key to Van Domselaar’s arrival on the main stage, was Van Veenendaal picking up an injury just minutes into their first game of the tournament against Sweden.
Enter Daphne van Domselaar.
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Just 22 at the time and with only one cap to her name, she was suddenly tasked with keeping goal for the defending champions, and did so admirably with a superb performance against the Swedes to earn a 1-1 draw.
“It was crazy,” she laughs. But nearly two years on, has she ever had chance to reflect on being thrust into the limelight unexpectedly?
“It was hard to reflect during the tournament, there was so much media attention. The moment I came on, it happened so quickly I had no time to really think, to think about the consequences, about what could go wrong.
“I was just like ‘Ok, I’m playing at a Euros right now, let’s fricking do it! Don’t think, stay close to yourself’. Six months before the Euros I started speaking to a mental coach because I was struggling with confidence a little bit, I was making mistakes during games, but by the Euros I was so confident and at that moment everything just came together and worked for me.”
But soon after Sweden came the difficult second act.
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