REIMS, France, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's head coach Nuengrutai Srathongvian admitted that her team could accept the 13-0 defeat to the United States due to insufficient performance after a FIFA Women's World Cup Group F match here on Tuesday.
"We accept the score today. We haven't done enough. We accept that they are very strong and they were excellent all-round. We accept our mistakes and we're going to improve. For emotions of my players, they were waiting for this moment and they were really disappointed because the score wasn't what they had expected," Srathongvian told a press conference.
Despite leading by a huge margin, the U.S. team dispatched attackers, including veteran Carli Lloyd, onto the pitch.
Srathongvian said, "Our opponents are trying their best. We have to accept that the U.S. team were very good today. We don't have any excuse. We accept that they are better,"
"Of course we know where we are. Playing the U.S. is not easy, and we know we have to improve in every aspect. We have to improve our mentality. Our players' experience cannot be compared with them.
Several Thai players, including goalkeeper Sukanya Chor Charoenying whose goal was broken 13 times, cried after the match to exhibit their huge disappointment.
"They intended to make an impression in the first match. They were trying their best and were very disappointed.
"They will be resilient. We've got two more games to play, and need to bounce back. We need to be prepared for the next match. They have the responsility and know what they need to do, This is a lesson to learn about how we prepare for the next match," Srathongvian noted.
Thailand will face Sweden in Sunday's second round group match.
