We played like warriors: New Caledonia coach

Kolkata, Oct 14 (PTI) It was an emotional moment for NewCaledonia to score their first point in the FIFA U-17 WorldCup in their 1-1 draw against Ja...
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Kolkata, Oct 14 (PTI) It was an emotional moment for NewCaledonia to score their first point in the FIFA U-17 WorldCup in their 1-1 draw against Japan and coach DominiqueWacalie today said the island nation had come to a standstillin their support.

Having conceded 12 goals from two matches, the U-17 WorldCup debutants showed fighting spirit against the East Asianpowerhouse who were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw but stillsealed a last-16 berth.

Wacalie said that his team was intimidated by the WorldCup atmosphere earlier but showed warrior like spirit in theirfinal group match here.

"We really played like a team with a big heart. To playin a World Cup can be a scary for players. It's difficult andit distracted the players and the performance was not the waywe wanted," Wacalie said.

"But today they played with real passion, and showed whatwe are capable of. It was about looking into the eyes of theopposition and the boys did just that. The attitude theyshowed today was simply brilliant. NCL are warriors, who liketo fight for their goals," Wacalie who took charge of the teamin April after New Caledonia's historic qualification said.

"I'm not just coach but I'm functioning like generalmanager of New Caledonia. For me it's personal feelingattached to this team," he said.

"The entire country was like paralysed in support of theteam. I'm receiving messages from family and friends, it'sreally an overwhelming experience."One of the nation's young brigade of coaches, Wacaliepreviously held the role of regional Technical Director in NewCaledonia and he said he also doubles up as a general managerof the team.

Having made as many as nine changes to their startingline-up, Japan started off brilliantly with a seventh minutegoal but only to survive a late scare from New Caledonia.

Coach Yoshiro Moriyama blamed it on the inexperience ofthe players.

"We started well but after that players became timid andinactive like they have loads of pressure on their back,"Moriyama said.

"With the new set of players we could not show our beston the pitch. The combination did not work and players becameineffective," he said.

Asked about his strategy in the match, Moriyama said: "Ibrought players who were eager and hungry and gave them chanceinstead of bringing in players who were tired.

"I hope to improve the quality and plug the loopholesbefore the next match," he said about their prequarterfinalhere on October 17.

"Whichever team we play, it will be a tough game. TheIraq No. 7 (Mohammed Dawood) is a wonderful player. We havefaced them in the Asian qualifiers. They show a lot ofaggressive spirit. It would be another tough match for us."He also hailed New Caledonia's fighting spirit and saidthey deserved to return home with one point.

"I'm impressed by the excitement they showed. They playedwith a lot of courage, delivering the ball forward. Theirperformance was 180-degree different from their past outings,"Moriyama said. PTI TAP PDSPDS.

This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.

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