BRATISLAVA, October 13 (RIA Novosti) - Yury Syomin, the head coach of the Russian soccer team, said he was not intending to step down from his position after his side's 2006 World Cup dreams ended on Wednesday night with a goalless draw against Slovakia.
Syomin said the question of resignation always came after failure. "Give me time to think," he said. "The team is very young... Players are strong individually but they need time to play like a team."
Syomin said that the main reason for his failure was that the Slovakian defense had been outstanding. "There are a lot of reasons, but the main one was that the Slovaks played very well in defense, and they also played at home," he said.
Syomin wished Dusan Galis, the coach of the Slovakian team, good luck in his bid to guide the side to the final stages of the World Cup.
The goalless draw ended Russia's chances of qualifying for the World Cup from the Group 3, where the team was only one spot below the Slovaks on goal difference. Slovakia will continue its campaign in the play-offs.
