The Netherlands’ players hinted that their Euro 2012 campaign had been undermined by changing-room disunity after their participation in the tournament ended with a 2-1 loss to Portugal.

A team that arrived at the competition as one of the favourites travelled home dejected yesterday following three consecutive defeats.

The draw that placed the Dutch in Group B was not kind, but no-one could have predicted the tame losses to Denmark, Germany and Portugal that followed.

Cristiano Ronaldo was the axeman in their final game on Sunday, scoring twice to cancel out Rafael van der Vaart’s opener.

The cracks had appeared earlier, however, with outbursts from several players hinting at discord among a squad with a historical reputation for feuding and in-fighting.

Van der Vaart and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar both complained about being left out of the starting line-up, while Arjen Robben reacted petulantly to his substitution during the 1-0 loss to Germany.

Asked to provide explanations for his team’s struggles, Robben appeared at a loss.

“We lost three times. It’s a difficult thing to accept,” he said.

“We have to dare to look at ourselves in the mirror: we all failed. It’s hard to find explanations.

“In the match against Portugal, we started well but we quickly forgot to keep developing our play.”

Tellingly, he conceded that, behind the scenes, all had not been well.

“Things happened in the squad, but we’ll keep that between us,” he said.

Holland’s unexpected failure will inevitably prompt scrutiny of national coach Van Marwijk, who extended his contract until 2016 last year.

The man who led the Oranje to the last World Cup final seemed incapable of reacting to the setbacks that assailed them in Poland and Ukraine, as Holland fell at the first stage of a Euro for the first time since 1980.

Captain Mark van Bommel – Van Marwijk’s own son-in-law – said the coach’s choices were “questionable”, but Wesley Sneijder still believes he is the right man for the job.

“Should we continue with Bert van Marwijk? Why not? I say yes,” said the Inter playmaker.

“Two years ago, at the World Cup, it worked very well. This time, no. But I still think he has a clear future. He has demonstrated his qualities by resolving internal problems in the right way.”

The Netherlands’ next competitive assignment is a 2014 World Cup qualifying match against Turkey in Amsterdam in September.