Edwin will miss Oranje

Edwin van der Sar may not have signed off from international football in the way he would have liked, but he remains proud of his achievements for his country which included a record 128 caps.

The Dutch skipper did his utmost to keep Holland in their Euro 2008 quarter-final tie with Russia on Saturday night after a surprisingly poor display from the Oranje, who had set the tournament alight during the group stages.

But Van der Sar was powerless to stop Guus Hiddink's side progressing to the last four thanks to two extra-time goals, giving them a 3-1 victory overall.

"I had the feeling that we could have saved the day if it had gone to a penalty shoot-out, but that was all gone after they scored their second goal," admitted the 37-year-old. "I think we had a great tournament and unfortunately we couldn't produce the level of play that we did in the first two games [against Italy and France].

"We created too few chances ourselves and gave too much away. Russia played very well, we did not - and that hurts. You have one bad game in the knockout stages and you are out. That's the way it is.

"These are the tournaments I will miss most, they are the nicest to experience," added van der Sar, who also hinted next season will be his last at Old Trafford. "I have reached quarter-finals and semi-finals, but that's not enough. You always want more than that. Every two years there is only one team that wins the tournament, and in my playing days that has not been for me to experience. But I have enjoyed it, that's for sure."
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