the togolese coach

Otto PFISTER (TOG)
You have to remember we were playing against the former world champions. There are players with a lot of class in that side, like Claude Makelele, Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry. It was the immense talent of those players that made the difference.

We defended our goal well and even created two great chances, but it got tougher as time went on. In the second half, we kept going forward and I made an attacking substitution as well. We came here to win, but the French were highly motivated and, after a lot of criticism, had a few things to prove.

The French aren't at their best yet, but they were still able to raise their game a lot in the second half. Franck Ribery was very good and a real pain for us. You never know what will happen in the Round of 16, but little by little, their play is steadily improving.

[s]some of africa's trade unionists quote [/s] some togolese players quotes

Emmanuel ADEBAYOR (TOG)
It was a great tournament and nice atmosphere. It’s a shame we went out, but we learned a lot. I don’t know who I will support but seeing as Thierry Henry is in the team I will probably favour France now.

Moustapha SALIFOU (TOG)
There was chaos in the camp at times and maybe we could have done better without these problems, but it was a special match tonight. Togo was a French colony. We played like brothers, so the atmosphere was a bit different.

Kossi AGASSA (TOG)
We didn’t get overrun though we had few chances tonight. We played well but it just wasn’t enough. Looking back on the tournament, we learned a lot of things.

the swedish coach

Lars LAGERBACK (SWE)
Congratulations to Germany and let me wish them success in the rest of the tournament. They were really very good today. We were far too passive at the start, we were second to every ball, and we conceded two early goals. We lost to a combination of bad luck, a good German team and the early goals. It's difficult enough against Germany with 11 men, and even more difficult when you're down to ten.

But in the period after we fell behind, I think we showed we have the ability to match Germany. I'm not sure we made the most of our potential up front. I brought on Marcus Allback for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, because I felt we needed fresh impetus. I didn't feel the need for any other solution. I thought the second yellow for Teddy Lucic was harsh, but overall I think the referees have done well at this tournament. It'll take a strong and well-prepared team to knock Germany out of the competition.

England vs Ecuador has starteddddd!!

some swedish player's quotes



Olof MELLBERG (SWE)
We didn't make a very good start and we had problems finding a way back after falling behind so early. We were as bad in the first half as we were against England. We weren't expecting the Germans to be so strong right at the start. We had a chance or two in the second half, so it's far from impossible to score against Germany. They don't play like a typical German side.

Zlatan IBRAHIMOVIC (SWE)
I'm not that disappointed because Germany were the better team today. The early goals really did for us. It was tough trying to turn that around. I was pretty tired but I gave it my best shot. I'll definitely continue playing for the national team.

Henrik LARSSON (SWE)
The penalty was a nightmare, it all went horribly wrong. I was aiming for the opposite corner. It's a long, long time since I missed a penalty. I don't care if one or two people try to blame me for our defeat. That's football. You can't get upset about refereeing decisions. You have to make it count out on the pitch.

Freddie LJUNGBERG (SWE)
I'm pretty frustrated about getting knocked out. We played far too deep this afternoon.

Erik EDMAN (SWE)
The Germans started well. We were too passive, and the result was we were two down early on. We let them pen us back in our own half. The sending-off made it very difficult for us, we had to run that much harder.

Niclas ALEXANDERSSON (SWE)
We gave it everything, but Germany were the better team today. They were quick and precise. It was certainly very impressive.

the mexican coach

Ricardo LA VOLPE (MEX)
It was an even game, just as I expected it to be, and it was a magnificent individual goal that decided it. Having said that, Mexico gave an excellent account of themselves. Once again, though, we didn’t achieve what we came to do, which was to reach the quarter-finals at least.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t make the substitutions I’d planned to because of the injuries to (Pavel) Pardo and (Andres) Guardado, and that’s very annoying. We had Omar Bravo and Guillermo Franco, but I had to put Zinha on to get hold of the ball more.

As for Argentina-Germany, well it’s never easy facing the hosts and they’re playing very well too. Nevertheless, I think Argentina or Brazil will be there in the final against a European team

some mexican players's quotes

Rafael MARQUEZ (MEX)
I’m disappointed because we played so well and unsettled Argentina. Even so, we still lost. I’m not trying to look for silver linings, but Mexico found their true level today and we played much better than in our previous games. I think that will help other Mexican players to come and play in Europe.

Francisco FONSECA (MEX)
We are disappointed because we performed well and still lost. We put a lot of effort into the game and I don’t think Argentina were better than us. Rodriguez scored a great goal, that’s all. I’m really pleased we’re changing our mentality, although we need to look at why we keep getting knocked out in the second round in World Cup finals.

Oswaldo SANCHEZ (MEX)
We went down fighting, but that’s not enough. This team wanted to go further and we had what it takes to do that. The game was always going to be decided by a mistake or a wonder goal, and that’s what happened.

Pavel PARDO (MEX)
Defeats such as this one really hurt. Mexico played as well as Argentina, we were never worse than them, and we deserved more. It’s a shame because the team had shown in this World Cup that we were ready to go far.

Ecudor's coach
Luis Fernando SUAREZ (ECU)
It was an intense game, very nervy for both teams and it was only ever going to be resolved by a stroke of genius, such as Beckham's - it was impossible to save that free-kick. There is a lot of respect between the two teams, and above all that’s down to what the England coach now thinks of us.

I’m very proud of my players. I don’t know what would have happened if (Carlos) Tenorio had taken that chance, but without doubt the situation would have changed. I was sorry that he didn’t score, but it’s a matter of luck. Our performance in the tournament was very good. Our first aim was to get past the group stage, and we did that. We then wanted to go on and achieve more, because we were playing with spirit and confidence, but we couldn’t.

However, we’re happy because of what we’ve achieved. Ecuador won over (people watching) the World Cup and also won over the sceptics. People said that we could only win at altitude in Quito, but that view has changed.

some ecudor player's quotes


Luis VALENCIA (ECU)
We gave our all on the pitch and I'm happy with the work of all the team. We had a little bit of bad luck today. I think that England could play more offensively.

Agustin DELGADO (ECU)
We showed to the world today that Ecuador have a very good team. We worked step by step in this World Cup but I'm very sad because this is our last game. We were happy here and we enjoyed it. Giovanny ESPINOZA (ECU)
We can hold our heads up high because we’ve proved we can play good football. On a personal level, I’ve learned a lot at this tournament.

Ivan KAVIEDES (ECU)
Before we came here, the press in Ecuador and elsewhere wrote off our chances. Now I’m sure they’ll have an inquest into what happened and why we’re out.

Ivan HURTADO (ECU)
I feel very privileged to have experienced all this. We’re a little sad to be going home but we can hold our heads up high when we get there. Now we’ve got to make sure we qualify for South Africa 2010. European teams don’t improvise much. They play a simple, direct game, but they don’t take any risks.

Carlos TENORIO (ECU)
We weren’t quite up to standard and we weren’t able to go raise our game. I’m happy though, and it doesn’t get any bigger than this for a player. If that shot in the first half hadn’t hit the crossbar, it might have been different, but it’s just a question of luck.

the dutch coach

Marco VAN BASTEN (NED)
It’s a shame that there wasn’t much football played in the second half.
At half-time we told the players to be careful, because if there’s one red card, then more usually follow. The advantage we had slipped away, and when it was ten against ten, we tried to attack, but for 45 minutes we didn't play our normal game. There was a foul every minute. It's a shame.
I began my work two years ago with a lot of young players, with a new philosophy and everything went well in qualification. The team was growing up, in spite of playing difficult opponents like Argentina and Côte d’Ivoire. Portugal are an experienced side, and I think that was the main difference. They used all the tricks in the book and they knew how to waste time.

In any case, we tried to get up to their box and we created some chances. In the end we went for high balls and we didn’t have luck on our side. I have to congratulate my players because they battled right up until the final minute.

some dutch player's quotes


Giovanni VAN BRONCKHORST (NED)
It was a crazy game. We put in a lot of effort in search of victory. It’s hard to take being knocked out of the World Cup, after creating plenty of chances but failing to take them. We had no luck at all. The Portuguese defence kept it very tight. Being sent off the field isn’t a great feeling.

Robin VAN PERSIE (NED)
We’re on our way home now, and we’re all very disappointed about not getting through. We weren’t the weaker team. The most important thing was the support we received from our fantastic fans.

Mark VAN BOMMEL (NED)
We were delighted about making the last 16 after the group we had, but this was a match we should have won. It was the best we’ve played in four matches and we didn’t deserve to lose. We had the better goalscoring chances, but we didn’t take them.

Andre OOIJER (NED)
My feeling is we were the better team in the second half. It was an undeserved defeat. We’re headed in the right direction, but we’ve missed our target of making it into the next round. That’s a shame.

Wesley SNEIJDER (NED)
We’d rather have played badly today and won, and made it through to the quarter-finals.

Edwin VAN DER SAR (NED)
We fought hard and we should have won. We had far more chances in the second half.

Ruud VAN NISTELROOIJ (NED)
We’re angry and disappointed. We had plenty of chances, but that’s football for you. It’s awful sitting on the bench. You’re a fan and a player rolled into one

the aussie's coach

Guus HIDDINK (AUS)
I’m very disappointed with the loss, coming as it did as a result of a last-gasp goal, but I'm very proud of the way my players performed throughout the tournament and particularly against Italy. We started off saying to ourselves that we wanted to avoid penalty-kicks, but as things unfolded we would have taken them.

We wanted to play attractive, spectacular football, and we did. But in contrast to the Italians, we weren’t lethal enough in front of goal. The team tried their hardest and we can have no regrets.

some socceroo's player's quotes

Mark VIDUKA (AUS):
I’m very disappointed because I felt we dominated the game. Losing is an absolute nightmare. The Italians were very solid in defence and played to their strengths. That said, I could see that they were very tired by the end of the game, especially because they had to play with a man less. If it had gone into extra time we would have won, because our greatest asset is our fitness.

Mark MILLIGAN (AUS):
We are very disappointed, because we gave everything and we really threw everything into attack. The end was a complete shock, it was like a knockout blow. The World Cup has been the greatest festival of football ever, and we’ve enjoyed every minute of it.

Scott CHIPPERFIELD (AUS):
This has really hit us hard. We had a few good chances to put ourselves into the quarter-finals. Unfortunately we didn’t have the luck we needed. But overall we can be more than pleased with our performance. We are proud of the way we played and of our fantastic fans.

Stan LAZARIDIS (AUS):
It was a bitter defeat. But thanks to our terrific displays the world has taken notice of Australian football. We could have won, and after the game the Italians congratulated us on our great performance. It was an unforgettable experience, the way the whole country got behind us at the World Cup.

John ALOISI (AUS):
It is hard to have to go out of the tournament in this way. After the goal we had no chance to try and come back again. It was only in the dressing room afterwards that what happened really sank in. We have to put this defeat behind us quickly and be proud of what we have achieved here. The whole of Australia is proud of us. We have shown that we can play better than the Italians and that we can hold our own with Brazil.

Tim CAHILL (AUS):
We played for our lives. What happened in the last minute was crazy. I feel completely shattered. Everyone was able to see how well we can play.

Mark SCHWARZER (AUS):
It’s hard to lose such a gripping game through a penalty. Despite the defeat I love this game and am thrilled to be a professional footballer. We had a great chance to reach the quarter-finals but we didn’t take it. Guus Hiddink is a fantastic manager. Australia needs to have a European coach in the future too, so that we can hold our own with top European teams. In future the world will not underestimate Australian football.

the swiss coach

Kobi KUHN (SUI)
I expected Ukraine to play like this. It was no surprise, but despite that, we couldn’t take advantage. We didn’t manage to score, which would have spared us the drama of penalties. I’m not going to replay the match in my mind. We’re disappointed, and I feel empty inside, and that’s what keeps me from going through what happened during the match. We’ll try to take some positives from this defeat and take the positive aspects from it, to help us to accept the fact that we lost.
When I sent Marco Streller on, I wanted to have a striker with fresh legs, to try something new. We missed three penalties and Alexander Frei was due up afterwards, but he could only have taken one. We wanted to prove that our young team was capable of standing on its own two feet, and we showed that. We will use the experience that we’ve gained here to be even better prepared for 2008. We played some good football here in Germany and our fans had a great time. In Portugal two years ago, we were playing catch-up. Here, we showed that we could hold our own in a tournament like this. In 2008, the team will have even more experience.

some swiss player's quotes

Pascal ZUBERBUEHLER (SUI)
It's hard to take because I hadn’t conceded during the whole tournament and Ukraine didn’t play well but we’re going out of the tournament and that’s a bitter pill to swallow. I didn’t have to make many good saves because there were no shots on goal. We tried our hardest but we just couldn’t score either.

Ricardo CABANAS (SUI)
Overall we can be happy for performing well in the tournament but the match was very difficult today. It’s a pity for all those who came to support us. A penalty shoot-out is always nerve-wracking. We’re very disappointed, but we have to keep looking forward. I am both proud and happy about what we’ve achieved in this tournament. That’s what football’s all about. I have enormous faith in this team, and at the next tournament we will show what we can do. With home advantage, 2008 will be no problem. I take full responsibility for my missed penalty and apologise to the team and to the many fans who travelled such a long way. We leave with our heads held high because we didn’t concede a goal.

Ludovic MAGNIN (SUI)
We are disappointed. It really hurts but that’s football and now we need some days to recover and think about what happened. We fought until the end and I hope Switzerland will be proud of us because I’m honoured to represent my country.

Raphael WICKY (SUI)
We’ve really learned our lesson here tonight. It was a great experience for us though, and we can still be proud of what we achieved. We didn’t want to take any chances, and in the end when it came down to penalties, fate didn’t smile on us.

Patrick MUELLER (SUI)
We had our chances but Ukraine defended well. Penalty shoot-outs are always a bit of a lottery.

Marco STRELLER (SUI)
At the moment I just feel a huge emptiness over my missed penalty. Before the match we worked intensively on penalties, but when it happens in a game it’s like a lottery. You can have played so well, but in the end it counts for nothing. It would have been important for us if we had won a game like that.

the ghanian coach



Ratomir DUJKOVIC (GHA)
I'm very proud of my team and of the way they fought, not just today but right from the start of the tournament. The next time, Ghana can expect to do even better.

I picked the team that I thought would do best in this game. If (Razak) Pimpong didn’t play, that’s because I thought that the team would do better without him. The absence of Michael Essien was crucial, no doubt about it. He controls our play right up to the final third of the pitch.

The chances that we missed were also crucial in the outcome of the game. The difference was that they didn’t waste the chances that they had. They are a fantastic team. If you give them a fraction of a second, they can kill you off, just as they did to us today. I think Brazil are the favourites, and I would like the team that knocked Ghana out to go on and become champions.

'I think Brazil are the favourites, and I would like the team that knocked Ghana out to go on and become champions.'
well u have no choice but to say dat cos ghana sucks.

some black star's quotes

Stephan APPIAH (GHA)
We need to focus on the next African Cup of Nations and hopefully in the next World Cup in South Africa four years from now, we will be ready to go.

John PANTSIL (GHA)
Brazil were very good. But we were good as well. The early goals were the critical factor in the game. The more we went forward the more we were left open at the back.

Eric ADDO (GHA)
Brazil were a little bit better and they played very well. They waited for us to come and hit us on the break very well. It was unfortunate that the second goal was given as I thought it was offside.

Matthew AMOAH (GHA)
I am very happy to have represented Africa and proved that we can play football as well as anyone in Africa. To play well is not the most important thing, you have to score and win as well.

John MENSAH (GHA)
It was a very good game for us today. We played well, but we were unable to score. And in football you are not forgiven for failing to score. You can't play well, not score and expect to win games. If we had made it 1-1 it would have been a different story, but we didn’t.

Derek BOATENG (GHA)
We need to score more goals. In the end, if you don’t score you will be scored against and you can’t win this way.

Sulley MUNTARI (GHA)
Maybe the referee was a little too quick to bring his cards out today. This was a problem for us because when we tried to impose ourselves in midfield, we couldn’t tackle without worrying about getting a yellow or a red card.

Michael ESSIEN (GHA)
In the future we need to prove that we can not only play football well, but we can also play with smart tactics. And if we have three chances on goal we have to score at least one. This is the future for Ghana and we have to achieve this goal.

@uci u suck

the spanish coach

Luis ARAGONES (ESP)
It was a very even game. We had more possession in the first half and created more opportunities. We made a mistake not stopping (Frank) Ribery with a tactical foul before he scored, and I didn't think there was a foul for the second goal. Even so, we weren't able to stop their player in time. We gave as good as we got against France and we still lost. Their equaliser hit us badly but I don't think the final scoreline was an accurate reflection of what happened out there.
At no time were the French down and out. They’ve got some great players. When we went looking for the equaliser, Cesc (Fabregas) gave the ball away for the first time all night and they got a third. As for the reaction of the fans, well they'll just have to decide for themselves. We’ve got a young side and they gave everything, but in the knockout phase we lacked that competitive edge and couldn't hold onto our advantage.

You have to congratulate the winning side but they weren't that much better than us. We can be composed because we've been professional. I'm disappointed because I wanted to win for the fans and get a little closer to the teams who always win. But there you go, France are one of those teams.

some spanish player's quotes

RAUL (ESP)
It’s always a tremendous disappointment whenever you have to go home earlier than you wanted. France were the better side and although we tried, we didn’t have many chances to win the game, despite the fact we put everything into beating them.

We’re a young team and we need to learn from the good things we’ve done. There’s a lot of quality in this side and the future looks bright for the next few tournaments. I hope things go well at the 2008 European Championships because I think that will be my last championship.

Cesc FABREGAS (ESP)
We struggled out there and we couldn’t do anything about it. We started off well but that goal just before half-time hit us hard. I feel absolutely terrible because we’re going home as losers.

XABI ALONSO (ESP)
It was a great game while it was all-square. At the end we had to score but we just couldn’t manage it. We have to learn to compete and hang in there in tough matches.

We just have to accept it. We dominated the game in the first half but we switched off for a second and everything changed. We’re not happy and it hurts a lot right now, and we’ll need to improve for the European Championship. It’s so disappointing to be going home because we expected to be here for longer. We didn’t manage to keep our advantage intact for the second half or take the lead again and that was the key.

Iker CASILLAS (ESP)
That’s another World Cup gone, another major tournament we let slip away. We’ve thrown ourselves into every match, but we weren’t up to scratch today. We didn’t play as well as we did in our other games and I’m just sorry for the fans that we couldn’t make them happy.

Fernando TORRES (ESP)
We can go home with our heads held high because we’ve performed well and this is a young team with lots of quality. I’m sure the nucleus we have here can bring more joy to the fans at the next World Cup.

David VILLA (ESP)
It was a very even game and their equaliser affected us badly. We were all convinced we were going to win because of how we’d been playing. We really thought today was going to be a big day for Spain. I would have liked to have finished the game but the guys that came on did really well. This is just something we’ll have to learn from so we can improve. We’re very sad we came up against a great team who played a great game.

JOAQUIN (ESP)
We’ve got to look to the future. We’re down but life goes on and this generation is very young. We’ve got the European Championship and we’re going to keep on working hard.

a bad way to revenge rooney is an idoit

[b]the argentinian coach[/b]Jose PEKERMAN (ARG)
We haven't made the progress that we were hoping for. I really regret the fact that we haven't achieved the goals we set ourselves. Am I going to stay on as Argentina manager? No, I think it's time for me to go. It's the end of an era, and I definitely won't be staying on.

We didn't expect to have the problems that we did. We had to substitute two players, and that cost us dear. Germany had the advantage of being more adaptable than we were. We were pretty much on top throughout the match, and my players gave their all. I always felt that we were better than Germany, but that's not always enough to get the win. All that I can say is that Argentina played good, attractive football and won the fans over.
This team has given the people back home a lot of joy and grounds for optimism. The players were worthy of the footballing tradition that we have in Argentina, and our country will always remember how well they performed at this tournament. Sometimes, though, history isn't fair. It's just a shame that Argentina are out of this World Cup. We could feel that the fans were behind us all the way through the tournament, and I can assure them that Argentina will carry on playing great football.

some argentinians player"s quotes

Juan Pablo SORIN (ARG)
My heart just feels empty because we deserved more than a draw. We did the best we could but we didn’t have any luck. Penalties are a lottery but at the same time they’re part of the game. It would be stupid to blame (Leo) Franco because we’ve got the best keepers in the world, and I’d just like to add that I’m very proud to be part of this team. We’ve got a great side and we can get our revenge in four years' time.


Hernan CRESPO (ARG)
We played really well and it hurts so much to lose. The boys are really down because we’ve got an exceptional team, we gave it everything we had out there and we deserved so much more. Germany weren't better than us and the game was decided by the smallest of details. For me, we’ve had a disappointing tournament because we’ve been knocked out. That said, I’m very proud to be part of this group. I’m not really
bothered who wins it now to be honest. I support Argentina and that’s it.


Carlos TEVEZ (ARG)
Naturally I’m very angry - we’ve just been eliminated. The fact that we played well doesn’t make it feel any better either. They attacked twice and scored a goal but Argentina were the better side. We put in a good performance but it doesn’t mean anything because we lost, and there’s nothing that has happened today that will make me feel any better about it.

Gabriel HEINZE (ARG)
It hurts a lot to lose like that. We didn’t deserve it but we gave it all we had. I really don’t know why we lost. And don’t ask me if I think Germany will win the World Cup or not because the truth is I really couldn’t care less.

Javier MASCHERANO (ARG)
We tried to play and represent the country as well as we could. I’ve got nothing to say because if you watch the game you’ll see that we were the better team. We showed we’re up there with the best teams in the world, and in my opinion there’s no such a thing as justice in football.

Roberto AYALA (ARG)
We’ve had a great World Cup and we were a great side, one that improved with every game, but now we’ve got nothing to show for it. We shouldn’t be hard on ourselves, though, and we can look ourselves in the mirror and go home proud of what we’ve done. I think the last ten minutes were vital to us not winning the game. That’s when we lost a little control and let Germany get an equaliser.

Leonardo FRANCO (ARG)
For me, I thought we played well. Losing is all part of the game but you always need some luck and we didn’t get any. They kept their heads better than we did in the penalties. We missed out and there’s nothing we can do about it now. All the same, we have to keep things in proportion because they weren’t better than us.

Julio CRUZ (ARG)
The dream is over, and it’s very hard to say that. We’ve done well overall, even though we all hoped we could get further. Although we know we lost, Germany weren’t better than us. They just had more luck in the penalties, that’s all.

Esteban CAMBIASSO (ARG)
We’re still standing tall. We outclassed them and we can go home with our heads held high.

the ukrainian coach

Oleg BLOKHIN (UKR)
I’m very disappointed, I don’t think the scoreline is a fair reflection of the match. Italy’s opening goal meant we were forced to attack and, even though we came up against a very good defence, we still managed to create several chances to equalise when we were losing 1-0.

I substituted Vyacheslav Sviderskyi because he’d already been booked and looked as though he might pick up a second yellow card. We had to make our second change at the end of the first half and this put us under great pressure for the rest of the match.

some ukrainian player's quotes

Andriy SHEVCHENKO (UKR)
It would've been difficult for us to draw tonight, never mind win. We faced a very good Italy team who deserved to win. They exploited the opportunities created by their star players. We played well, we attacked a lot and did everything in our power. We played with a lot of courage. To win you need to give everything and be lucky. We were unlucky this evening. The only consolation is we’ve been eliminated by my Italian friends. I’ll be supporting them now.

Oleksandr SHOVKOVSKYI (UKR)
We’re very happy with what we achieved given this was our first World Cup. We’ve learned a lot and we’ve still got a lot to learn. Like against Spain we conceded a goal early on and I was to blame in part. We must learn to score early goals ourselves. Italy are a very good team, well-organised and with very talented players.

Maksym KALINICHENKO (UKR)
We’re very disappointed with the result. Playing in the World Cup is a wonderful experience. I still can’t believe the teams we’ve played against. Italy were good and deserved to win but I don’t think they’ll reach the Final.

Artem MILEVSKIY (UKR)
I’m very happy to have played against such talented players like (Francesco) Totti,(Gianluigi) Buffon and the rest of the Italian squad. We’re very pleased to have reached the quarter-finals in our first World Cup. We tried to start quickly, as they did, but couldn’t manage it. I’m very disappointed to be going home, but life goes on.

Andriy GUSIN (UKR)
I’m very sad and disappointed to be out because our whole country will be down. We let our guard down in the opening minutes and paid the price because they scored. We’re pleased just to be here. We must digest what we’ve learned and improve, and that means starting with qualifying for EURO 2008.

england's coach

Sven-Goran ERIKSSON (ENG)
I thought we played very well, we played good football and were in control of the game at the start of the second half. Even after the red card we still played well and created good chances. But losing on penalties is not good enough. We should still be in the tournament but we are not.
I thought the players showed a lot of character, it remained an equal game even at 10 against 11, they did everything they could.

It will take me a long time to get over this. I was convinced we would get to the final, with a squad of this quality we should have got to at least the semi-finals if not further.

I can’t complain about the red card, I’ve only seen it on a very small screen. It was maybe a free-kick just before but the referee was right on the spot.

We have practised penalties so much, I don’t think we could have done any more. We missed three out of four which is not good enough. I feel sorry for the team, for the squad and for the fans because the fans deserve a team in the semi-finals.

It was ok reaching the quarter-final four years ago and two years ago, but it’s not good enough now. I feel sad, a bit angry because we should still be in the tournament. But we’re not and we can’t blame the referee. We’re out because we failed.

some english players quotes

Gary NEVILLE (ENG)
Until Ronaldo took that penalty I never had a negative thought about the outcome of the match and I don’t think anyone did. We are devastated tonight because we believed we had a great chance. We’d got through quite comfortably to the quarter-finals and we had a chance to go and beat Portugal. I think we had the best three or four chances in the match and we had to take one of them and we didn’t. Even after (Wayne) Rooney got sent off we had one or two chances. People will talk about the sending-off but if you are going to win a tournament you have to get over obstacles like that.

Frank LAMPARD (ENG)
Considering we played with ten men I thought we were the better team in terms of our work rate. I didn’t see the incident with Wayne, I don’t know what happened but I was surprised to see the red card come out. We worked so hard, we covered lots of ground and still created the occasional chance. Considering how hard we’ve worked in the last few weeks, it is hard to be out now.

Ashley COLE (ENG)
We've practised penalties after every session, but it's a different atmosphere when it's not training. You can't blame the penalty takers – it takes guts to go out and take one. You've got to say well done to Ricardo for going the right way. We can't blame the fact that Wayne got a red card. He's very down at the moment but all the lads supported him. It was down to us ten to finish the job but we couldn't do it.

Owen HARGREAVES (ENG
Football is a tough sport, we were so close and could have won the game. Ricardo did very well – great penalty saves are one of his specialities, but we hit the target and that’s all you can ask for. It’s just a shame we couldn’t have decided it earlier. We played with ten men for a lot of the game, but they rarely created much and we could have scored with the half-chances we created. The sending-off had a massive effect on the game. I felt the referee could have blown for a foul on Wayne (Rooney) earlier as it was two against one. It was a pivotal moment for us as Wayne is crucial for us, one of the best individuals I’ve ever seen.

the brazilian coach

Carlos Alberto PARREIRA (BRA)
I’m very sad, and so are the team. Getting knocked out was a situation that we hadn’t prepared for. We started the game well, and our passing was sharp. But our attackers always found it difficult, because France, just like the other teams that we have played, got all of their men behind the ball. But we tried and we had a few chances.

The French team played with a lot of spirit. (Zinedine) Zidane is a player that we know well, one of the great players of the last decade. But our defence marked tightly, so much so that their goal came from a set-piece.

Technically, we have a very good team, very experienced, but when you don’t win the title, it’s because there has been something missing. We had some problems, and we needed a little more preparation, probably in terms of fitness and getting the team to play as a unit. I’m not worried about whether or not I’m going to carry on as coach of the Seleção.

some brazilian player's quotes

RONALDO (BRA)
I’m very sad, very disappointed with this defeat. We had plans to go much further, but it didn’t happen. France were the better team, and when all’s said and done, that’s football. We are proud of how we battled and what we sacrificed in order to get this far. France didn’t surprise us. We knew that they were a great team, and they showed that. They played great football, intelligent football that got the better of us.

JUNINHO (BRA)
There’s no point looking around for excuses. France played better than us. They didn’t have a lot of chances, and their goal came from a set-piece, but once they scored it was very difficult for us to turn it round. I think that the team as a whole didn’t play well tonight. Robinho made a difference when he came on, and he tried to give us a lift, but now we have to accept the criticism and start to get the young players ready for the next World Cup. We didn’t play as Brazil can.

ROBINHO (BRA)
Life is a learning curve. We learn when we win, but you also learn when you lose. It was my first World Cup and I’m sad because I didn’t manage to become a world champion.

EMERSON (BRA)
I’m just lost in the moment. I don’t like making plans for the future. I’m sad because we made a lot of people cry, including my family. Now it’s time to think about our club teams again in order to carry on doing well for the national team. I don’t think that there was any problem with our preparation. France were the better team, end of story. It hurts more when you don’t play. I’m much more nervous than when I’m playing.

KAKA (BRA)
We lost because we didn’t impose our style of play on them at any stage. Right now, it’s difficult to say why that happened. If we knew, then we would have done something about it on the pitch.

the german coach

urgen KLINSMANN (GER)
We’re obviously very, very disappointed, no question about it, and that is to be expected when there is so much emotion involved and when it turns out that a dream has died. It really hurts when the other side delivers a knockout punch right before the final whistle – that takes some coming to terms with. Even we coaches need a moment to get over it. But I told the team straight after the match that they can be proud of themselves, that they've done so much and that they always pushed themselves to their limits. We showed that we can compete with the best teams in the world. We almost managed to score, and both teams had their chances, but we came up against an opponent who realised just before the end how to make the most of their opportunities and put the match out of our reach.

Congratulations to Italy and to Marcello Lippi. All the best to them for the Final. What we now want to do is give a fantastic performance for our fans in the match for third place and play some good football. In any case, the tournament has already been a real success for us and we can feel very proud of ourselves. There are players in the squad who have incredible potential and who are getting noticed on an international level. In a short space of time, they have made incredible progress. We can look to the future with a lot of optimism, and many of our squad have made a name for themselves on the international scene during the tournament.

some german player's quote

[b]Miroslav KLOSE (GER)
We are obviously incredibly disappointed. It was an even contest and both teams had their chances. Well done to the Italians. They were clever on the break and scored two lovely goals. We can still be proud of what we have achieved.

Lukas PODOLSKI (GER)
We were just two minutes away from penalties. We created the better chances over the course of the match, and in the second half, we had three absolutely clear-cut chances. I'm not making any accusations or complaints, though. That's just the way football is.

Philippe LAHM (GER)
I don't think that we played worse than Italy today. It's a bitter pill for us to swallow. We concentrated on one thing and kept our focus right until the end, except for that one attack of theirs. We definitely want to win the Third Place match though.

David ODONKOR (GER)
Of course we're disappointed and sad, because we had set our sights even higher. The Italians played well, but so did we. It's a pity that we lost the way we did in the last few minutes.


Bernd SCHNEIDER (GER)
We ended up being punished right at the death. It's really disappointing, because we only made that one mistake. I've no doubt that it'll be tough to pick ourselves up again now, but it was great, the way the crowd still cheered us on when we went one down. I don't know, it's difficult to say whether we can really be proud of ourselves.

Per MERTESACKER (GER)
We could have won today. Of course we knew that Italy would be even tougher than the teams we'd played before, but I still think that we did what we set out to do. We weren't looking beyond this match.

Christoph METZELDER (GER)
We just didn't take our chances. Everyone is really disappointed. I've already been through a similar experience before. Coming third in a World Cup would be wonderful and we're going to do all we can to win the Third Place match.

Tim BOROWSKI (GER)
We just couldn't step it up a notch, even though we gave it all we'd got up front. Italy were simply that little bit tougher than the Argentinians. At the end of the day, we just couldn't quite raise our game. We could have gone all the way.