I will fight on, Capello says after flop

0 CommentsPrint E-mail China Daily, October 14, 2010
Adjust font size:

Fabio Capello insisted there was no chance of him quitting after England stumbled to a goalless draw with Montenegro which left its Euro 2012 qualifying campaign on a knife-edge.

I will fight on, Capello says after flop

Montenegro's Elsad Zverotic (center) celebrates with teammates after their Euro 2012 qualifying match against England at Wembley Stadium in London on Tuesday. [Eddie Keogh / Reuters]?

While England has five more games to try and win an automatic qualifying berth at the top of Group G, Capello acknowledged his team had left itself with little margin for error after its lackluster display at Wembley.

Montenegro now leads the group with 10 points from four matches, with England trailing in second by three points, having played one game fewer.

England resumes its qualification bid in March next year when it travels to Cardiff to face Wales in what is certain to be a testing local derby.

Yet the sternest test may well come in the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica next October, where Capello's men play their final qualifying match.

"Every game now will be tough," Capello admitted. "The next game will be really important in Wales."

After its buoyant start to qualifying last month, when first Bulgaria and Switzerland were swatted aside with ease, Tuesday's performance revived memories of England's dismal World Cup stalemate with Algeria.

Capello insisted, however, that England remained a "good team" despite the paucity of its play for much of the Montenegro game.

"I think we are a good team. It's one game," Capello said. "This is usually what happens when we play a not so normal game."

Asked if he would be tempted to quit the England job, Capello was emphatic. "No, I fight," he said. "We have to play five games more. This is football - it's not boxing. You don't win on points.

"We created four or five good chances to score goals," he said. "One we missed, the other times the keeper was too good.

"First half we tried to play long ball and arrive faster in the box. But against a team like Montenegro - it's the fourth time they have had a clean sheet. We needed to take our chances."

Capello also lavished praise on Montenegro, which had already confounded expectations by winning its opening three matches.

"You have to respect them. Sometimes little countries have good players. I think at this moment they are psychologically very high," he said.

Montenegro coach Zlatko Kranjcar, meanwhile, said he still believes England is in the driving seat of Group G, even if Capello's men do face a dauting trip to Montenegro next year.

"I don't consider it a miracle. This is a result that exceeds all our expectations," said Kranjcar. "Three wins and a draw without conceding a goal is proof that we can achieve our aim of reaching the playoffs.

"We are very close to our goal now. But there are a lot of games now. If the other teams don't fulfill their expectations we might even consider winning the group. But I think England is still the clear favorite for the group. They will find a way to win all their games before we play them next year."

The result was of huge significance for Europe's youngest soccer nation against the world's oldest.

Montenegro only joined UEFA as an independent nation in 2007, and with a population of 620,000 it has wildly exceeded its expectations in this competition.

If it was to reach the Euro 2012 finals, it would be the smallest country ever to reach the finals.

Seeded fifth of the five nations in Group G when the draw was made in February, it came to the game as group leader after 1-0 wins over Wales, Bulgaria and Switzerland and left still three points clear of England with a game extra played.

It also did it without three of its best players, including Mirko Vucinic, who scored the winner against both Wales and Switzerland but was missing with a hamstring injury.

Print E-mail Bookmark and Share

Go to Forum >>0 Comments

No comments.

Add your comments...

  • User Name Required
  • Your Comment
  • Racist, abusive and off-topic comments may be removed by the moderator.
Send your storiesGet more from China.org.cnMobileRSSNewsletter
主站蜘蛛池模板: 摸进她的内裤里疯狂揉她动图视频| 欧美激情一区二区三区成人| 国产在线一区二区杨幂| 4444亚洲人成无码网在线观看| 天天干天天干天天操| 三级黄色毛片视频| 日本不卡一区二区三区四区| 久热免费在线视频| 欧美jizz40性欧美| 亚洲欧美一区二区三区在饯| 爱豆传媒视频在线网址最新 | 一级毛片免费不卡| 插插插综合视频| 久久久久亚洲av成人网| 日韩欧美亚洲综合久久| 亚洲av无码专区在线观看成人 | 久久久无码精品亚洲日韩按摩| 月夜直播手机免费视频高清 | 内射白浆一区二区在线观看| 美女扒开屁股让男人桶| 国产一级又色又爽又黄大片| 高清不卡毛片免费观看| 国产成人无码午夜视频在线观看| 日本亚洲黄色片| 国产精品久久久久久久久电影网 | 国产一区二区三区影院| 要灬要灬再深点受不了好舒服| 国产又黄又大又粗的视频| 91网站在线看| 国产成人精品亚洲一区| 日本猛妇色xxxxx在线| 国产精品αv在线观看| h视频免费在线| 国产精品va在线观看无| 搡女人免费免费视频观看| 国产精品成人99久久久久| 亚洲国产精品免费在线观看| 正在播放年轻大学生情侣| 亚洲精品短视频| 波多野吉衣中文字幕| 亚洲精品福利网泷泽萝拉|