SOCCER: Jordan coach proud of players despite early World Cup exit

Jordan coach Jamal Sellami said his players' inexperience may have cost them in a 2-1 defeat by Algeria at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on Monday, but he was proud of their World Cup campaign despite their early exit.

• Jordan bow out of their first World Cup after consecutive defeats in Group J. They lost 3-1 to Austria in their opener.

• "The Algerian team did some substitutions that might have made a difference. They had a very tall offensive player ... I think our lack of experience allowed them to score from two corner kicks when we were waiting to make our own substitutions with the cooling break."

• "Generally speaking, we had a great match, and we should be proud of our performance. Very first experience in the World Cup, we were better than the first match."

• "Now for us facing Argentina is an opportunity. It's an opportunity for us to perform well and leave a great mark worthy of Jordanian football."

• Sellami, who is Moroccan, said Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein had visited the players' dressing room after the match and offered them congratulations. "Whenever you lose, there is always a negative feeling you're not in the best state of mind as the players that they have shown, but his words were a tonic for their spirit."

-Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters