Tony Popovic: We were sluggish, conceded two soft goals

Australia's head coach, Tony Popovic, voiced his dissatisfaction with his team following their 2-0 defeat to the USA in their second Group D match at the World Cup. He believes his players were sluggish and conceded two soft goals.

"I'm not sure if it was the atmosphere or the occasion, but we looked sluggish, heavy-legged, and lacked any real presence. They won every challenge, every second ball, and in that situation, it's incredibly difficult to build any momentum. On top of that, we gave away two very easy goals," Popovic began.

"However, our reaction in the second half was exceptional. In this stadium, against the host nation, the players showed their quality, but at this level, you simply cannot afford to give away such a significant lead in the first half," the coach added.

When asked about the USA's second goal and whether there was a foul on goalkeeper Patrick Beach, Popovic commented: "Yes, I'm not entirely sure about that situation. I would say today certainly wasn't the referee's best day."