KANSAS CITY, United States, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Switzerland manager Murat Yakin said his players could be proud despite Saturday's 3-1 extra-time World Cup quarterfinal defeat to Argentina.
Switzerland recovered from Alexis Mac Allister's early goal through Dan Ndoye's second-half equalizer before Breel Embolo was dismissed with 18 minutes of normal time remaining.
Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez then struck in extra time to deny the Swiss a first World Cup semifinal appearance.
"I would like to praise my entire team," Yakin told a post-match news conference. "We competed against the reigning champion in a World Cup quarterfinal. We came back after conceding and after the equalizer the momentum was on our side."
"We were dominating, but we were punished by a rule that I don't understand. We didn't deserve that. My boys are the real heroes. They gave everything today and to be eliminated in this way is hard to accept."
Switzerland finished top of its group, beating Bosnia and Herzegovina and Canada while drawing with Qatar. It then overcame Algeria and Colombia in the first two knockout rounds to reach the last eight for the first time since 1954.
Yakin refused to blame Embolo for the red card, saying the forward was devastated by the result.
"I don't blame him at all. That would be absurd," he said. "He is a true team player. He is obviously shattered that he couldn't help the team."
The 51-year-old also took pride in the respect Switzerland earned during a campaign that matched the country's best World Cup finish.
"Their manager told me they were suffering a lot," Yakin said. "That shows Argentina took us very seriously and that we caused them many problems. We can be very proud of ourselves."
He stated that each of the four remaining teams was capable of winning the title, including Argentina.
"Argentina performs like a champion," he said. "If you look at the four teams that remain, all of them can become champions. I wish the entire team and Lionel Scaloni the best of luck." ■
