KANSAS CITY, United States, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Algeria manager Vladimir Petkovic said his side was outclassed in a 3-0 World Cup defeat by Argentina on Tuesday and challenged his players to respond in their remaining group matches.
The North African side faces Jordan and Austria in its final two Group J games as it seeks a place in the knockout stage.
"We are up against a team that was beyond us," Petkovic told a post-match news conference. "They are a wonderful football team and they richly deserved to win this game."
"It would have been a huge upset had we taken points from this game. Other teams in this group still have to face Argentina. We still have our destiny in our own hands and we can decide our fate."
Petkovic singled out Lionel Messi for praise after the 38-year-old scored a hat-trick to tie Miroslav Klose's record of 16 World Cup goals.
The former Lazio and Switzerland boss admitted his team had no answer to the Inter Miami star's quality.
"Class is permanent. We're not talking about any old footballer. We're talking about a player that has won eight Ballon d'Ors," he said.
"Unfortunately, we afforded him an opportunity with his goals. Messi is able to do things more easily than most. He is a team player and has the privilege that Argentina plays for him, and for many years he has been doing incredible things."
He added: "The difference is the way Argentina keeps the ball. They are a classy team. You only have to look at how neat and tidy they are, and how quickly they shift the ball, and they don't allow the opposition to press them."
Petkovic refused to blame individual players for the result and said the team would take a positive mindset into Monday's match against Jordan in San Francisco.
"We know that we can do better," he said. "We mustn't be too down in the dumps. We need to have belief because we'll be up against a different caliber of opposition in our next two matches." ■
