Sigurdsson rides roller coaster of emotions

"A very good night, but also a very disappointing night" is how Gylfi Sigurdsson summed up the emotions of the Iceland camp after they fell agonisingly short of a semi-final place despite a 3-1 victory against Denmark.

At kick-off, Iceland had the steepest task of the Group A sides, all of whom were still in contention on the final matchday. However, they finished just a goal shy of making the last four after rediscovering the prolific scoring form that served them so well in qualifying.

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim midfielder Sigurdsson told UEFA.com the tournament finally saw the real Iceland in Aalborg: "Obviously after the first few games we were very disappointed with our performances and I think tonight we actually turned up and showed what we are all about."

Missing out on progression – and a potential place at next year's Olympics – by such a small margin was a bitter pill to swallow, though. "It's a shame it was only one goal in the end that was the difference between going through to the semi-finals," the 21-year-old added. "I think we made the nation proud finally – it's the first time we've beaten Denmark at football. So it's a good night but also a very disappointing night."

Striker Kolbeinn Sigthórsson had previously endured a frustrating finals, and although he found his touch in front of goal – breaking the deadlock in the 58th minute – it was no consolation. "Everybody is just really disappointed after a good win," he said. "We were so close. We are only disappointed at the moment."

The AZ Alkmaar player pinpointed the opening game as the decisive moment in their campaign. "We are happy with that [the performance against Denmark], but at the same time we are not happy with the way we finished the first game," he said of the 2-0 loss to Belarus, who advanced at Iceland's expense from the section on the back of that win. "I think that was the main moment in the competition for us, why we didn't go through."

Sigurdsson could still take positives from Iceland's stay in Denmark. "It's obviously been a good experience," he summarised. "It will make this group stronger and in the next few years this will be the team coming into the full squad. It's a good experience for us and the next time we go to a final tournament – last eight or last 16 – it won't be the first time for the nation."