Ireland came to spoil the party, but in truth, the festivities kicked off after just 12 minutes of this final Euro 2024 clash at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam.
Wout Weghorst again wreaked havoc in the Ireland defence – as he had done in the Dublin game – and it was a combination of the big man's attacking ability and some awful Ireland defending that led to that opening goal.
Nathan Collins was caught badly in the build-up as he was easily helped out of the way, albeit with a strong tug of his shirt, and with no one in behind to cover, the flying Dutchman had a one-way ticket to the goal, and he made no mistake, slamming an unstoppable effort into the top corner.
The home side looked completely at ease from that moment on as the crowd sensed, even at this early juncture, that there was a giant chasm of class between the two sides.
And so it would prove as the home support spent more time trying to work a Mexican Wave midway through the first half than supporting their eleven on the pitch.
The reality was Ronald Koeman’s well-drilled unit did not need the help as they coasted through to half-time, bemused, no doubt, as they only led by one goal at the break.
There really was little to please the travelling Ireland support, who again had issues getting into the stadium before the game, with Gavin Bazunu the only player matching what was on offer from the home side.
Stephen Kenny opted for an attack-minded eleven and it was encouraging early on to see the back three pushing on, urging those ahead to go deep.
And yet it was nothing like that ferocious first half in the Aviva Stadium encounter when Chiedozie Ogbene and Adam Idah’s energy caused serious issues in the centre of defence.
Ogbene was unavailable through injury, while Idah was handed a watching brief from the substitute’s bench, with Kenny opting for Callum Robinson to support Evan Ferguson who had been a doubt all week coming into the game.
"We played differently in the first game, tactically we played 3-4-2-1, 3-4-3, we played 3-5-2 tonight in the first so it was different tactically," said Kenny, when asked about Idah’s absence from the start.
As it transpired, neither Robinson nor Ferguson enjoyed any influence in the first half, and while the former departed at the break, the Brighton striker was off soon after, applying an ice pack to his leg as soon as he came off.
Idah came on and did well leading the line, and was unlucky to have the offside effort chalked off, while Jamie McGrath also added a bit of quality and energy when he came on.
Others looked either jaded or lacking confidence as the second half continued with the Dutch looking dangerous every time they pushed up the pitch.
The Ireland defence had no answer for the aforementioned Weghorst, nor the quality of Cody Gakpo and Xavi Simons, who were given room to roam into space at every opportunity, while Denzel Dumfries was dangerous down the right flank and Tijjani Reijnders could have had a hat-trick before he was taken off late in the game.
Remarkably the party atmosphere was put on hold for a couple of brief moments late in the game as Ireland somehow remained in the contest, standing over set-pieces in dangerous positions.
But just like the rest of the campaign, the quality was lacking and the party would kick off soon after as the Netherlands secured the three points that booked their place at next summer’s tournament in Germany.
After the game, the manager refused to lay the blame on anyone and instead spoke of the bravery that he saw in his team, playing against one of the top teams in Europe.
"I wouldn't see it as backs-to-the-wall myself because we didn't sit back," said Kenny, speaking at the post-match press conference.
"We didn't take one step back, not one step back. We absolutely pressed Holland high up the pitch, we went after them.
"The players were courageous in possession, they worked their socks off out of possession, worked incessantly and they put their bodies on the line."
And the manager felt that his side started the game well and were in the ascendancy when the home side scored with their first attack, putting the goal down to an unfortunate collision between Collins and Ryan Manning.
"It was a period of dominance from us in terms of in possession, we were switching the play quite well and we were in the ascendancy away from home against Holland in possession, and then we concede.
"Ryan Manning and Nathan collided, and it opened up for Weghorst to go and score. It was a brilliant finish, and you would not expect him to score from that angle, but it was a phenomenal finish and we got punished."
Kenny did, however, concede that the Dutch were full value for their victory and admitted that his players struggled at times dealing with the quality of the opposition.
"Yes, they played through us and they created chances in the second half, and it required last-ditch defending, players but their bodies on the line when it was required, and it required Gavin Bazunu to play really well.
"We just couldn't get that level of creativity in the final third that we required to break down a really top-class defence. We just didn't create enough with the possession we had.
"We found it difficult to penetrate their back three, but overall I felt that the players gave everything of themselves.
"They had a lot of chances in the second half, and they deserved their win, of course they did, I’m not disputing that."
As for the future, the manager said that it was not the right time to send any messages to the fans but would rather talk about the game that had just finished, although he did admit that the last three years have been a rollercoaster ride, but one that was a privilege to undertake.
"Tonight is not the night for that [sending a message]," said Kenny. "We have another game on Tuesday and we’ll see after that.
"I don’t think tonight is a night where I need to sum up anything really other than tonight’s game, and I think we are disappointed to lose the game, but Holland were very good on the night.
"It's an absolute privilege to manage Ireland," said Kenny. "Yes, it's been a roller-coaster of emotions, of course but it's all been an honour to manage Ireland."
