Abu Dhabi: Korea Republic coach Paulo Bento has declared that his side exited the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 quarter-finals after yet again failing to convert chances into goals.



A long-range thunderbolt saw Qatar register a 1-0 win over Bento’s charges on Friday, as the Taeguk Warriors failed to progress beyond the AFC Asian Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 2004.

Having scored just six times in their four previous matches, the Koreans were once again culpable of squandering chances when it mattered most and, according to Bento, that inability to convert opportunities into goals ultimately cost his side dear.



“The game was a balanced one and we tried [throughout] to control and dominate the match as we had done previously in the tournament.

“When I look back at the 90 minutes we did not create too many chances, but even that was still more than our opponents managed. After the goal, we struck the post and before that we also had chances."

 


Match Highlights - January 25

“In our previous games, the margin of our victories were perhaps not as convincing as our general play suggested they should have been.

“I would agree that we were not as effective as we could have been. We were eliminated because we were not as efficient in converting our chances as we should have been.”

Whilst refusing to be drawn on who he thought would now win the title, Bento did admit that an impressive Qatar side have every chance.

“All the teams who have reached the semi-finals of the competition now have a [good] chance to win the competition,” he explained.

“[That includes] Qatar who are a very good and well-organised team, one that has good players who possess excellent technical skills.”


Source: the-afc.com