Mexico U-17 Squad Goes Down Swinging

Elimination from the U-17 World Cup at the hands of South Korea would have been difficult for Mexico no matter the circumstances, but losing the way they did was especially tough, manager Jose Luis Gonzalez China said.

Mexico lost in penalty kicks to the South Koreans and failed to reach the quarterfinal round despite it being within reach. Mexico led 1-0 in second-half stoppage time before South Korea scored their dramatic equalizer.

The loss was especially painful but the manager said his players did all they could.

"It hurts to lose because the guys left it all on the pitch," Gonzalez China told the Mexican Football Federation's Web site. "It's sad to lose this way but that's football. We have to leave with a sense of accomplishment, with our heads held high because the Mexican national team in this game and throughout this tournament left everything on the pitch."

Mexico went 2-1 in the group stage, but did well to recover from an opening 2-0 loss to Switzerland. Mexico beat Brazil and Japan to qualify to the second round as hopes arose for another run at a U-17 World Cup title.

Unlike four years ago, though, when Mexico won the 2005 U-17 World Cup title, Mexico could win their first knockout round match.

Had Mexico held on, El Tri would have faced a tough challenge. South Korea will play host Nigeria, 5-0 winners in their second-round match.

While it was the Asian side who advanced, the Mexican manager said his team had nothing to be ashamed about.

"There are no excuses," Gonzalez China said. "It was Korea's turn to win. I felt it was a great game from both sides, and we simply were the ones to lose. We have nothing left to do but to congratulate them and wish them luck in the next round."

Goal.com

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