Australia’s Slow Start Proves Costly in 2-0 Defeat to USA, Says Coach Popovic

Seattle: Australia coach Tony Popovic blamed a poor first-half display after the Socceroos suffered a 2-0 defeat to the United States.  Popovic said the outcome was largely decided during a disappointing opening 45 minutes. “Their quality is clear, their power is clear, their athleticism is clear,” Popovic told reporters. “We didn’t match that in the first half. We found it difficult to win challenges and second balls.”

“We were slow to every ball and couldn’t really regain any momentum. We conceded a couple of soft goals and looked flat and lethargic in the first half.”

The Australian coach made three substitutions at halftime and was encouraged by the response from his players. “You can easily cave in under that type of pressure, physically and emotionally, but the players responded extremely well,” he said. “The second half was much better. It would have been nice to get a goal and see what happened from there, but I was pleased with the reaction.” IANS

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