Ivankovic rues bad luck
21 Jun 2006 - 18:08:06
Iran coach Branko Ivankovic thought his side deserved to beat Angola in their final Group D match.
Iran were forced to come from behind to draw 1-1 with the Black Antelopes as they secured their first point of the tournament.
"We dominated the 90 minutes and perhaps deserved a victory today," said the Croat.
"The conditions were very hard but the players put their heart and soul into the match. During the last few months we've had a few problems with injuries but we can be satisfied with our performance overall.
"I would like to congratulate the excellent Iran fans who were behind us for the full 90 minutes. They believed in our victory until the last second of the match.
"Also I want to congratulate my players because they did everything to win, but they just weren't lucky. They worked hard on the field and created more opportunities than Angola."
Angola coach Luis Oliveira Goncalves said: "We were not intelligent enough to defend our 1-0 lead but I'm nonetheless proud of my players.
"Today's match was a little bit of bad football but in the end I think a draw was a fair result. People were saying we would let in a lot of goals but that didn't happen.
"Everyone involved in Angolan football and the people at home can be very proud."