Argentina head coach not considering stepping down

Jorge Sampaoli ruled out stepping down as Argentina's head coach after his side 4-3 defeat against France in the round of 16 of the 2018 World Cup Russia.

"Beyond the pain, you need to have courage. The fact I'm here, where I wanted to be, I'm not thinking about" the possibility of resigning, Sampaoli told reporters, reports Efe.

The coach said it was too early to analyze his team's mistakes, adding that it was a "part of football" to "face a team that was very fast in its transitions" from defence to offense.

"There will surely be different factors to analyze that have to do not only with whether you won or lost," Sampaoli said on Saturday.

He recalled that Argentina briefly had the lead early in the second half but that the 2-2 equalizer came "on a play that's very difficult to explain".

Sampaoli was referring to a 57th minute goal in which a cross from the left side went past seven players to defender Benjamin Pavard, who scored his first-ever goal for Les Bleus on a rocket half-volley from just outside the penalty box.

--IANS

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