Pakistan coach Shahid Ali says missed chances ruined them in the World Cup opener against India.

By Anshul Baijal

Coach Shahid Ali was a dejected man after Pakistan went down to India in the opening game of the World Cup on Sunday. But he said one defeat will not ruin Pakistan's chances in the tournament. "We lost the game, but we have the potential and capability to bounce back," said Ali.

The Green Shirts were completely outplayed by India in the opening 35 minutes and Ali credited India for putting up a spirited display. "India completely dominated the first-half. They controlled the mid-field and were able to put together a string of short passes."

Both the teams created a lot of chances during the game, but it was India who found the back of the net. Pakistan captain Zeeshan Ashraf admitted missing chances cost them dear. "We created chances, but unfortunately could not convert them into goals. Two of our shots hit the post. And missing chances in a big game will always hurt you."

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Pakistan coach admitted that his team could not match up to the intensity of the Indian team and they crumbled under pressure. "We could not match up to their tempo. There was too much pressure on us, especially after going 2-0 down in the first half."

Pakistan, the four-time World Cup winners take on Olympic silver medalists Spain in their next game and Ali is hoping his team can regroup. "We are still not out of the tournament. We have four games to go and hopefully we will put up a better performance in the next match," concluded the Pakistan coach.

As they say, Inshallah!