Qantas Young Socceroos lose 2nd match despite starting well

The Qantas Young Socceroos have lost their second match of their South American tour by the same scoreline as the first match.

The Qantas Young Socceroos have lost their second match of their South American tour, 0-2, against the Paraguay U-20 National Team in Asunción today.

The Qantas Young Socceroos began the match well with a fair share of possession and positive football, but a turnover by the Qantas Young Socceroos in the 12th minute by midfielder Steve Lustica saw Paraguay take possession and attacker Alberto Contrera capitalised to give the home team an early lead.

The Qantas Young Socceroos rallied hard and fought back into the game, matching the standard of their hosts for the remainder of the half.

Five minutes into the second half, Miguel Medina doubled Paraguay-s lead with a stinging strike from just inside the box following some good build-up play.

The Qantas Young Socceroos were reduced to ten men with twenty minutes remaining when Marc Warren received a red card for a two-footed dangerous tackle which made any hope of a come back even more difficult.

Kerem Bulut, who looked dangerous all game, caused plenty of problems for the Paraguayan defenders. Bulut-s best opportunity to score came in the 81st minute when he launched a great shot from outside the box which hit the right post but deflected away from the goal.

Qantas Young Socceroos Head Coach Jan Versleijen was disappointed with the result but pleased with his team-s improved performance.

"First half there was some improvement from Tuesday's match. Our structure was better and we were more competitive. But you can't change the level of quality and skill difference between us and Paraguay in two days, you can only put the structures in place that the players learn from the match," said Versleijen

“In some areas we really improved and a lot of other areas we need to continue to work on like the speed in which we make decisions and our pressing.

“For the players here this is a reality check. The standard of high quality international football played by Paraguay and the South American countries is a lot higher than the Youth League and also most of the competition we face in Asia.

“The challenge now is for these players to realise what you need to become a high quality international footballer and put in the work that may allow this to happen,” concluded Versleijen.

The Qantas Young Socceroos will now travel to Argentina to play their next match against the Argentinean U-20 National Team in Buenos Aires on 13 April.

The Qantas Young Socceroos are currently preparing for the AFC U-19 Championship 2010 which will be held 3-17 October 2010 in Zibo, Shandong Province, China PR

The draw for the AFC U-19 Championship 2010 Finals will be held in the host city of Zibo, China, on 9 May with the tournament to be played from 3-17 October, 2010, at the Zibo Sports Complex Stadium and Linzi Stadium. The top four (4) teams from the AFC U-19 Championship will qualify for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup which will be held in Colombia.