Argentina-England – D. Seaman: “We were really very unlucky”
Argentina-England – D. Seaman: “We were really very unlucky” 01.07.98 01h35 CET David SEAMAN (1):
“We did what we could, and it was a performance in itself to have played a man down for such a long-time, without being too tired. It was a very difficult match and we were really very unlucky. It’s a shame it had to go down to penalties.”
Gareth SOUTHGATE (6):
“We played very positively, but unfortunately, we were one man down on the pitch. I’m really disappointed to have lost. As for David BECKHAM’s (7) red card, don’t worry, he’s fine, we are friends and we’re going to go out together this evening all the same. I’m sure that tomorrow will be a very sad day. But we have to look ahead: the team is put together with young, promising players. It’s sad to lose like this, but we needn’t be ashamed as we showed the team’s true potential.”
David BATTY (8):
“We were very worked up during the match. After the penalty, we stayed positive. Personally, I feel a bit cheated by the result. It’s a big disappointment for the whole team as we played really well. It was very difficult playing 10 against 11, but that’s when we had the most chances in midfield to recover the ball and cause problems for the ARGENTINE defence.”
Gary NEVILLE (12):
“I haven’t yet watched the replay so I can’t say whether the refused goal was fair. It’s terrible to lose on a penalty shoot out, especially as we played really well. It was very difficult to continue after David BECKHAM (7) was sent off, but we were lucky Michael OWEN (20) scored a fantastic goal. At 18, he’s a very gifted player. As for ARGENTINA, they’ll be difficult to beat and could well get through to the finals.”
Darren ANDERTON (14):
“We showed that we can play very well and this is what we did tonight. It’s a shame, as now we have to go home. Michael OWEN (20) wanted to be a very good player, but today it showed that he was fantastic. I am very disappointed. You always feel a bit cheated when you lose after a penalty shoot-out.”
Paul MERSON (15):
“We played very well and everyone gave their best. With only a ten-man team, we didn’t think it was a handicap and all in all, I’m satisfied despite our defeat. In fact we could have played even longer without being able to score. One small regret, however, in my opinion the two penalties were not justified whilst the referee could have given a penalty against the handball committed by an Argentinian. Congratulations to ARGENTINA, but they haven’t won yet. OWEN is an exceptional player and he scored a goal that was out of this world.”
