It is a bad result but not a bad performance, says coach Bathenay

DUBAI // Dominique Bathenay was not too disappointed with the heavy loss to Germany, saying his side "did not play a bad game" against the Europeans. The UAE lost 7-2 to the three-time world champions at Al Nasr, but Bathenay felt his side played well given the large amount of absent players. In the absence of the injured Ismail Matar, Ismail al Hammadi and Mohammed al Shehi led the UAE attack.

Defenders Hamdan al Kamali and Mohammed Fayez are with the U20 side in France for the Toulon Tournament . "It was a very difficult game for us. Germany are a big team and we knew before the game how difficult it was going to be for us." said Bathenay. "However, we did not play a bad game. It is a bad result, but not a bad performance. "When you have a player like Ismail Matar missing, it gets more difficult for us, but still we did a good job in attack.

"We had some opportunities to score, but the German defence and goalkeeper did well. Every time they scored a goal it got tougher for us. So while I am disappointed with the result, we scored two goals and that is not so bad considering the big difference between the sides." The UAE's problem area was in defence, and Germany scored virtually every time they visited the box. Bathenay, however, refused to be harsh on his back four.

"We were playing against a very good team, so it was very difficult for the defence," he said. "I am not disappointed with Fares Juma because he is a good player. It was the first game in the team for Salem Masoud and Abdullah Moosa, so it was a bit tough for them. "We have to remember that Germany are a big team, not just another side in world football." [e-mail]