DUBAI: 萝莉视频鈥檚 soccer players will remain focused and keep fighting until the World Cup鈥檚 last moments, their head coach said on Saturday after the team鈥檚 2-0 loss to Poland.
鈥淚 am proud of my players and football is a team sport in which there is success and failure,鈥� Herve Renard told a press conference. 鈥淭he most important thing is that we have one match (left) and we must remain focused.鈥�
After an epic win against Argentina in their opening game, the Green Falcons failed to soar to the same heights against Robert Lewandowski and his Polish teammates at the Education City Stadium in Qatar and so remain on three points in Group C.
Despite the disappointment, Renard said his team were far from giving in.
鈥淲e will play to the last second of this tournament and we will not give up,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e will play the third match with the same energy and we need the fans to be present and fill the stadium against Mexico.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 lose because of luck but because we weren鈥檛 so effective, and I will support all the players. I made a lot of changes after the first half to have a good reaction and get back into the game.鈥�
The French coach said the reason he substituted Nawaf Al-Abed was because the player had suffered an ankle injury.
鈥淚 am very proud of what the players have achieved 鈥� we should have tied before the end of the first half,鈥� Renard told Alkass Sports Channel, adding that his team had worked incredibly hard.
鈥淭he most important thing is that we remain standing here. And don鈥檛 you think that we are finished,鈥� he said.
Poland鈥檚 coach Czeslaw Michniewicz was also full of praise for the Saudi team.
鈥淭hey have good players,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he best for me is the captain, No. 10, Salem Al-Dowsari, and goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais, who is a great goalkeeper and saved dangerous balls from our players.鈥�
Poland had gained a hard-fought victory 鈥渨ith two goals against a valuable team,鈥� he said.