Former Manchester United and Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has revealed that he is extremely shocked after the disappointing performance by the Dutch national team at the Euro 2012. Despite having gone into the tournament as one of the firm favourites to lift the title following the final finish in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the Dutch national team lost all the three matches in the group stages to finish bottom of the group. Edwin van Der Sar, who has now retired from football, has said that he is extremely shocked by the performance of the team.
After the first half against Portugal in the final group game, it looked like Netherlands were going to take advantage of their lifeline by qualifying for the quarter-finals in the final stage. Rafael van der Vaart had given the Dutch the lead in the match, but two goals from the Portuguese in the second half meant that they not only go out of the competition, but also go out after having lost all the three matches. One of the top favourites to get the Golden Boot award – Robin van Persie, did not manage to find the sparkling form that he has experienced with Arsenal.
“I`m in shock. We had it coming. It was seen in the build up to the tournament. We were missing one or two players, some just returning from injury. Then during the tournament, different parts of the team didn`t function together. I think it`s over for Mark van Bommel in the national team. There will be one or two changes in this team. It`s a disappointing result for us after what has been achieved in the past few years,” Edwin Van der Sar told RCTI after the elimination of the Dutch from the Euro 2012.