Iran Loses to DPR Korea at AFC U-16 Championship
Tasnim – TEHRAN, Iran suffered a bitter defeat against DPR Korea at the AFC U-16 Championship quarter-final on Sunday.
Iran lost to the Korean team 4-2 in a penalty shootout after the match finished goalless in Bangkok.
The Iranian team could not book a place in the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile as the top four teams qualified for the World Cup.
“Just now it’s too difficult for the players to accept this situation, but it can be a good lesson for their future careers,” said Iran coach Mostafa Ghanbarpour.
“We played at the same level as them and maybe had more chances, but penalties are a tough way to go out.”
“We had practiced penalties for the past two months, but in a tournament situation it is totally different. I just asked them all to do their best as even some of the greatest players in the world miss penalties,” he added.