(Asian Cup) S. Korea coach expresses pride for players after narrow loss in final

SYDNEY, Jan. 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korea may have come out on the losing end in the scintillating final of the AFC Asian Cup on Saturday, but the team's coach Uli Stielike still expressed pride for his squad.

The host Australia edged past South Korea 2-1 in extra time at Stadium Australia in Sydney, with James Troisi delivering the winner. With South Korea down 1-0, Son Heung-min netted the last-gasp equalizer to send the match into extra time, but the Socceroos prevailed in the end.

During his post-match press conference, Stielike, a German, pulled out a piece of paper to read out a message in Korean.

"People in the Republic of Korea, you can be proud of our players," he said.

Stielike also said the match was so evenly contested that either side would have been a deserving champion.

"It was very hard for us to lose the final after coming back into the game after going a goal down. After a long tournament, the players tried hard and got us back in the game inside the 90 minutes," he added. "It's a shame that we lost the final because the way we played showed that we did not deserve to lose. We didn't just rely on 11 players. This was a total team effort."

On the eve of the match, Stielike had stressed the importance of playing with composure. He said his players failed to do so on the extra-time goal by Troisi, which came on a huge rebound deep in the South Korean zone.

"As time passes, these things will get better," Stielike said. "We can work with inexperienced players to make them better."

Defensive lapses notwithstanding, Stielike said South Korea is headed in the right direction.

"We have to stay on the right course. Based on tonight's match, it was difficult to tell which was the home team and which was the visiting side," the coach added. "I'd like to congratulate my players. We will have to keep competing in the same spirit."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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