Shattered Norway regroup for play-off
Friday, 28 September 2007
TIANJIN, Sept 27 (AFP): Norway's coach admits he faces an uphill battle lifting his shattered team for the World Cup third-place play-off after their demoralising loss to Germany.
But Bjarne Berntsen said the 1995 champions, drummed out 3-0 late Wednesday, were still determined to finish in the top three.
"We came here to fight for a medal and we don't have a medal yet," Berntsen said.
"We have to work very hard for Sunday to get the team prepared and to get the team used to the disappointment of losing a semi-final."
Norway dominated the opening exchanges only to hand it on a plate to the reigning title-holders with an own goal, a deflected second and some clownish defending for the third.
Berntsen said his players were tired after playing their quarter-final against China just two days earlier.
"Maybe we should have thought more about changing some players," he said.
"It could be we made a mistake playing the same team but the main problem in the second half was we were so inaccurate with our passing.”
"Nearly all the German attacks came from us losing the ball very easily."
Norway's defeat, to their bitter continental rivals, was their first against European opposition in the World Cup.
The world's fourth-ranked team were runners-up to the United States in 1991, lost 5-0 to China in the 1999 semis and 1-0 to the US in the quarter-finals four years ago.
But Bjarne Berntsen said the 1995 champions, drummed out 3-0 late Wednesday, were still determined to finish in the top three.
"We came here to fight for a medal and we don't have a medal yet," Berntsen said.
"We have to work very hard for Sunday to get the team prepared and to get the team used to the disappointment of losing a semi-final."
Norway dominated the opening exchanges only to hand it on a plate to the reigning title-holders with an own goal, a deflected second and some clownish defending for the third.
Berntsen said his players were tired after playing their quarter-final against China just two days earlier.
"Maybe we should have thought more about changing some players," he said.
"It could be we made a mistake playing the same team but the main problem in the second half was we were so inaccurate with our passing.”
"Nearly all the German attacks came from us losing the ball very easily."
Norway's defeat, to their bitter continental rivals, was their first against European opposition in the World Cup.
The world's fourth-ranked team were runners-up to the United States in 1991, lost 5-0 to China in the 1999 semis and 1-0 to the US in the quarter-finals four years ago.