Paqueta praises Asian champions Japan Nov 16, 2006 PA Sport
SAPPORO – Saudi Arabia coach Marcos Paqueta paid tribute to Asian champions Japan after his side fell 3-1 to Ivica Osim’s team, with victory handing the Japanese top spot in qualifying Group A.
Saudi Arabia coach Marcos Paqueta:
“We’d like to congratulate Japan because they played better than we did today. We gave up two goals early in the game and that virtually decided the game. After that we had no choice but to go forward in an attempt to equalise. We managed to pull back one before halftime but still had to go on taking some risks. But I’d like to congratulate our players for their hard work today.
“The Japanese players had precision in their passing and were fast when making moves. I suppose they are following their coach’s instructions and stuck together as a unit well.
“We played some younger players, and I believe this away game brought some good experience for them.”
Japan coach Ivica Osim:
“I wish our players could have shown more creativity in their play. We became erratic, which we have to fix, as we gave away a penalty.
“We had some trouble with our physical condition as the second half wore on. That couldn’t be helped in a way, because our players have had a long season.
“When I saw Saudi Arabia’s substitutions, I knew they wanted to take advantage of our team’s weak points. But overall, thanks to our hard work, we didn’t give up any opportunities to our opponents.”