¡¡¡¡PORTLAND, United States, Oct. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- China coach Ma Liangxing said that the Steel Roses' defeat to Canada in the WorldCup quarter-finals was because they could not find a way to overcome the deep or concentrated defenses.

¡¡¡¡"It is obvious that China can not overcome the deep or concentrated defenses through the past several matches. I will be responsible for this," Ma said.

¡¡¡¡Even Pellerud's 11 players all retreated to their own half in the second half to defense. China created numerous chances but failed to put the ball into the back of the net.

¡¡¡¡But Ma, who took over as China coach in early 2002, spoke highly of his players' efforts.

¡¡¡¡"Our players have tried real hard today and they were well prepared for today. They performed well tonight.

¡¡¡¡"What I said in the dressing room was 'You are still the best players in my heart.' Through over one year's pleasant work together, I understand that they have tried their best to play the World Cup."

¡¡¡¡But Ma said he will not quit despite the defeat.

¡¡¡¡"But whether I will stay as China coach or not cannot be decided by myself. A lot of people are not satisfied with my performance in this position.

¡¡¡¡"But I will have the encouragement to stay as the head coach. And I am sure I can do better."

¡¡¡¡He added: "The World Cup experience is precious to me. And I think it is useful and beneficial to coaching the national team inthe future." Enditem