Kek Sees Bright Future for Slovenian Football
Despite a crushing 1:0 defeat against England on Wednesday that cost Slovenia a spot in the second round at the World Cup in South Africa, Slovenia manager Matjaz Kek is confident his team will have learnt a lesson and become a force to be reckoned with in the future.
At the final whistle in Port Elizabeth Slovenia were in the runner-up spot in Group C having defeated Algeria and drawn with the US. But then came news from the US-Algeria game that Landon Donovan scored an injury-time goal to give the Americans a 1:0 win and a slot at the top of Group C ahead of England.
"The result hurts, it hurts like hell. It's a big wound," Kek told the press after yesterday's game. But he was hopeful that the team and each individual player will emerge from the World Cup campaign stronger. "It was a valuable lesson for us, a lesson you pay dearly, and we paid it in the cruelest possible way in sport."
Taking a broader look, Kek hopes Slovenian football in general will benefit from the team's showing. "The path has been indicated and the potential is immense, much bigger than many imagine."
No doubt already groomed by prospective employers, Kek also indicated his stint at the helm of the national team might be ending after three hugely successful years. But he was quick to add: "I don't know, I'm not thinking about it."
Text: STA
Photo: NZS/Taka