Argentina deserved a draw , claims coach

Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa claimed his side did not deserve to lose today’s World Cup showdown because they were ‘‘more skilful’’ than the England team.

Argentina, one of the favourites to win the tournament, were beaten 1-0 in Sapporo thanks to David Beckham’s penalty and now they must beat Sweden to guarantee themselves a place in the second round.

‘‘Before the match we believed we had a bigger chance to win,’’ he said.

‘‘We thought we could win, but the result we deserved and we didn’t reach was a draw.

‘‘There were two different halves. In the first, the match was close and even; our achievements were related to our skills and England’s chances were more related to our mistakes than to their skills.

‘‘In the second half, after the first 10 minutes, we created chances that made us think that we may draw the match.’’

Bielsa said England’s performance had not surprised him.

‘‘In a World Cup there are no surprises. We know what each team can offer,’’ he said.

As for Argentina’s ability to regroup in time for the all-important final Group F match against Sweden next Wednesday, Bielsa claimed his side must immediately put today’s loss behind them.

‘‘We have to take distance from the sadness and focus on the next match,’’ he said.

‘‘Our near future is a match where we play for our qualification. That forces us to focus as soon as possible on it.’’