Arabian Gulf Cup: Iraq's Coach Says his Team Lost on Penalty Shootout and Not Because of Technical Difference

Doha, December 05 (QNA) - Iraqi coach Srecko Katanec said that his team's loss to Bahrain on penalties after the end of the original and extra time for the 2-2 draw in the semi-finals was due to physical stress. He congratulated the Bahraini team on winning the match. Katanec said that his team played openly and attacked to score, but the team did not succeed after the draw, adding that his team gave two occasions to Bahrain after scoring two goals, especially the second goal that came at a time when there was no monitoring of the Bahraini player who succeeded to score the goal. He added that the Iraqi team played a good match and made a great effort, but the team played several matches in the past period, and preparation was not good, and even if the team qualified for the final the players would have been exhausted. At the end of his statement, he said his team was the best against Bahrain, but lost the match with penalty shootout, not because of the difference of the technical level. (QNA)