Thorpe reflects on Euro defeat
Friday, 13 July, 2012
Three Lions skipper dissapointed following 2-1 loss in the last-four to ten-man Greece.
By Nicholas Veevers in Tallinn
England U19s captain Tom Thorpe reflected the mood of the whole squad following the semi-final exit from the Euros at the hands of Greece on Thursday.
A late goal in extra-time saw Noel Blake’s side exit the competition and Thorpe was just as frustrated as his Head Coach after the match.
"It was a tough game for us and ultimately we're very disappointed to have lost the game,” said the Manchester United man.
"We had a lot of possession and created some very good chances and it was just that we lacked the final product in front of goal.
"Greece worked extremely hard and I think once they went down to ten men, they worked even harder in their pressing of the ball. It was difficult for us to play through them.”
For many of the squad, they must now look to push on into next season’s U20 squad with a World Cup in Turkey to look forward to in a year’s time, as well as the prospect of trying to play their way into Stuart Pearce’s Under-21 reckoning.
"We now all want to step up into the U20s next season,” he added.
“So we need to keep playing well when we go back to our clubs and hopefully secure a place in the squad for the U20s and the World Cup next year.
"It's been a good tournament, but unfortunately, the final memories will be the loss here. Hopefully we can pick ourselves up and come back stronger next year.”