England striker Darius Vassell says he was "completely devastated" by the penalty shoot-out defeat against Portugal at Euro 2004.
In a statement issued today, Vassell said: "After spending the past 36 hours trying to come to terms with the immense disappointment of missing one of the vital penalties at the end of the match against Portugal on Thursday night, I would like to express my sincere thanks for the overwhelming support I have received from England fans upon my return to the country.
"Since coming back home to Birmingham, I have been inundated with messages - not only from Villa fans - which have really been touching and have gone a long way to restoring my confidence to move on from this incredible disappointment.
"The actions of the Aston Villa faithful, who have hung banners at Villa Park pledging their belief and support of me for the future at both club and international level, has completely blown me away me - and I can't thank people enough for their actions of support.
"As everyone would expect, I am completely devastated by the disappointment of Thursday night. But I realise it is essential for me to try to deal with it and put it behind me as much as possible and try to refocus on the coming season with Aston Villa and England - which I am more determined than ever to make successful."