Robin van Persie celebrated reaching 100 caps towards the end of Netherlands' 2-1 victory over Kazakhstan, but he wishes he was given the opportunity to start the crucial qualifier.
Goals from Georginio Wijnaldum and Wesley Sneijder threw the Oranje a lifeline with one game left of the Euro 2016 campaign, although the nation are still dependent on Turkey slipping up at home to Iceland to reach the play-offs.
But Van Persie, who came off the bench to reach his century of appearances, insisted he was fine to feature from kick-off.
"The important thing is that we won," said the striker to De Telegraaf. "But I would have rather started.
In reference to the two injured goalkeepers, the 32-year-old added: "What is worse is that Tim Krul is likely to have a serious knee injury and Jasper Cillessen is also out."
Coach Danny Blind did not think Van Persie was fit enough to start the crucial match, an opinion the Fenerbahce striker did not share.
"I'm very fit. I often played with aches for the Netherlands, but that was not the case today," he affirmed. "But again, it's not all about me. It's about winning for the team. "
