RVP reveals Van Gaal's slap during 2014 World Cup

Former footballer Robin van Persie reveals in Louis van Gaal's latest biography that the former coach slapped him after the overtime between the Netherlands and Costa Rica in the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup because he refused to be substituted during overtime.

The match ended 0-0 and the striker suffered a cramp after the first ten minutes of extra time, a circumstance that Van Gaal noticed. The coach told him that he was going to substitute him, but Van Persie refused because of the possibility that the tie would be decided in the penalty shootout.

"When the overtime ended, we gathered on the sideline and suddenly he slapped me. Bang! Then with his flat hand, he patted me and angrily told me: 'Never do that again,'" Van Persie said in statements collected by the Dutch magazine "Voetbal International" and taken from the recently published biography "LvG, the coach and the person".

Next, Van Gaal urged the forward not to miss from the penalty spot. "Forget about it now and make sure you score the penalty," he added angrily.

Van Persie did not disappoint his team and beat former Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas with a low shot, the first Dutch goal in a penalty shootout that ended 4-3 and gave the Netherlands qualification for the 2014 World Cup semifinals.

(With information from EFE)

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