By Gracious Akujobi England Coach, Roy Hodgson has described the 1-2 loss to Italy in their opening Group D encounter as disappointing.
He however admitted that his players lacked team performance but good individual performances.
Speaking after the top match, Hodgson noted that his side also had scoring chances but could not manage them, but gave kudos to the young players.
“It was a disappointing result. It’s hard to look on the bright side when you lose – you need time to let it sink in.
“My first impression is that we did some things very well and had some good individual performances, but unfortunately we conceded that second goal. Even after that we had chances to score, but we couldn’t manage it.
“That said, I know my players gave their all and, who knows, next time those same chances might end up in the net. If we can play like that in the next two games I think we have a good chance of getting good results.
“It must be said too that our young lads all played very well and I can only take positives from the game, with the exception of the result of course,” he said.
On his part, Italian Coach Cesare Prandelli, was delighted that despite the heat, his side was able to win the match.
His words, “Despite the heat, both sides were able to put on a good spectacle, and they deserve credit for that. Our approach was clear: we don’t have explosive players like England do.
“With that in mind, our aim was to make the most of our technical ability. In the first half we had control of the game and on several occasions were able to get the ball to our attacking players between the two defensive lines.
“Of course we have good alternatives that can help us change our way of playing but, in general, that’s our philosophy”.
