Larsson: I May Carry On For Sweden

Henrik Larsson has revealed he may continue to play international football despite Sweden's heartbreaking exit from Euro 2004 at the hands of Holland. 

The Dutch booked their place in the semi-finals of the tournament after Saturday night's dramatic penalty shoot-out.  Following a goalless 90 minutes and extra time, the quarter-final went to penalties.  The sides were tied at 4-4 before Holland goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar saved Olof Mellberg's attempt and Arjen Robben then sent the Dutch through. 

Larsson, who scored his penalty, came out of international retirement to play in Euro 2004 and the decision was justified. 

The 32-year-old scored twice in Sweden's opening victory over Bulgaria and netted his third of the competition in the 2-2 draw with Denmark that saw both teams qualify from Group C.  But he was left devastated by Sweden's exit. 

"Right now I feel so disappointed, that you need to scrape me off the floor," said Larsson. 

"I'm glad to have returned but this was not about me, it was about the team. 

"If nothing comes up as I've always said, I will retire from football. If I do get a club I might continue in international football." 

Larsson ended his hugely successful seven-year spell with Celtic at the end of last season and there has been no shortage of potential suitors, most notably Spanish giants Barcelona. 

Midfielder Anders Svensson was also understandably devastated by the defeat to Holland but believes Aston Villa defender Mellberg would not be unduly affected by his penalty miss. 

"We are distraught, we were hoping to go all the way in this tournament," said Svensson, who plays for Premiership club Southampton. 

"It's painful to be eliminated in this way. We saw how hard it was for England to go out the other day, and now we are the ones to suffer in the same way. One team has to lose and it was us. 

"Mellberg has had a fantastic tournament. He missed a penalty but he will bounce back because he is a winner. 

"We have played a formidable tournament and we are proud of what we have achieved."