Coaches rue missed opportunities

United Arab Emirates coach Srecko Katanec said he was proud his side’s efforts in their 0-0 Asian Cup draw with North Korea on Tuesday.

Katanec’s side could have fallen behind early in the game when Hamdan Al Kamali brought down North Korea striker Jong Tae-Se in the penalty area.

But the UAE were handed a lifeline when North Korea skipper Hong Yong-Jo slammed the resulting penalty into the crossbar.

The incident seemed to spark the UAE, who dominated the remainder of the contest.

While Katanec said he was disappointed they could not turn their advantage in possession into goals, the Slovenian was left pleased by the performance.

“I am happy with how they played. My team showed character and skill. It was unfortunate that we missed so many chances,” Katanec said.

“If Korea had scored off that penalty maybe it would have been different, but my team regrouped after that and took complete control.”

“We will now have to hope the players recover and get ready for the next two games (against Iran and Iraq), which are very difficult ones.”

North Korean coach Jo Tong-sop rued his captain’s penalty miss, but insisted he was pleased to escape the match with a point.

“I think the missed penalty, coming so early in the game, affected the morale of my team. After that they seemed to be down psychologically, but we are happy with the result,” he said.

“It is also the first match which is always difficult. My team only showed about 80 percent of their level. Hopefully they will improve in the next two games, though both Iran and Iraq are strong rivals.”