Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez praised his players on Tuesday, saying its narrow World Cup semifinal defeat to the Netherlands proved it could can mix it with soccer's powerhouses.

"When it comes to looking back, we can say we were among the four semifinalists and the other three are powerhouses of Europe," he said. "Today we are looking at the team that is in the final and I believe we put this team in difficulty.

"I know football in Uruguay and where it stands on a worldwide level and so I can say I am proud and happy with the performance of my team.

"It managed to play at an equal level with Holland but didn't manage to score the winning goal in the final moments. I couldn't ask for more from these players and nor could Uruguay."

Holland got the best possible start with a 18th-minute strike from veteran captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

But against the run of play Diego Forlan put his team back in the match with a long-range strike four minutes before halftime - his fourth goal of the tournament.

It was the Netherland's second goal from Wesley Sneijder on 70 minutes that did the damage and Tabarez complained it was clearly offside.

"When they scored the first goal, it was one thing and it was clear that the Dutch players were very gifted technically and could create a goal from any situation," he said.

"It was a beautiful goal but unexpected for us.

"Their second goal was decisive but it was offside and the match could have been different. They were then at ease and they made us feel their peace of mind.