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Lopetegui: A shameful result — I apologise to Canada for Koné's injury
Julen Lopetegui called the 0-6 defeat to Canada "shameful", publicly apologised for Asim Madibo's reckless tackle that left Ismaël Koné with a broken leg, and admitted his side completely fell apart after the red cards
Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui was devastated after the 0-6 defeat to Canada in Group B, describing the result as "shameful". The match was overshadowed by two red cards, the second of which — for Asim Madibo — came for a reckless challenge on Ismaël Koné that left the Canadian with a broken leg.
"The first thing I want to do is officially apologise to Canada, to their coaching staff, and above all to the young man Ismaël Koné. What happened was unacceptable. Our player made an extremely late, dangerous and reckless tackle from behind. Our discipline today disappeared completely. Asim Madibo was in shock in the dressing room — he had his head in his hands when he realised what he had done and how serious Koné's injury was. We are not a team that plays like that, and I am deeply sorry," Lopetegui began.
"The 0-6 scoreline is extremely painful and shameful for us, but that is the reality. When you receive two direct red cards and are left with nine men against a host nation as fast, powerful and aggressive as Canada, the match is simply over for you. They exploited every space on that wide pitch. In the first half we tried to hold on, but after the break and the red cards everything collapsed within minutes," he added.
He also played down a touchline confrontation with Canada coach Jesse Marsch. "Emotions on the touchline were running too high. I completely understand Jesse Marsch's anger — he was defending his injured player. My own reaction in that moment was also driven by tension. We already ran into each other in the tunnel after the match and shook hands. Football is a game of emotions, but incidents must stay on the pitch. Now we need to clear our heads quickly, because we have one more group game and we must show a completely different face."
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