Defeat has overshadowed display – Vlaar

Ron Vlaar admits the Netherlands’ FIFA World Cup exit has tainted his impressive performance in their semi-final loss to Argentina.

The centre-half was arguably the best player on show as the sides played out a goalless draw over 120 minutes, routinely foiling Lionel Messi and his attacking cohorts.

However, the night ultimately ended in disappointment, Vlaar missing the opening spot-kick as his side lost 4-2 on penalties.

He said: “Maybe I played the best game of my life. I felt really confident. But there’s only one thing that matters in sport and that’s winning and that didn’t happen.

“All of the players are really disappointed. We really believed from the start of the tournament that we could get something and I’m proud of what we got but it’s not enough and we wanted more.

“We were really close but it wasn’t good enough to go through to the final.

“I believed in us from the start, we all believed in ourselves but it didn’t happen. There’s only one thing that counts and that’s first place.”