The China Mail - Advocaat 'proud' of Curacao as minnows exit World Cup

"The players can be proud of themselves. I have been to tournaments before, and this team has really excelled, the way they have played against world-class sides, full of enthusiasm and full of guts," Advocaat said after the 2-0 loss to Ivory Coast in Philadelphia.

He said his side's performance was "exceptional" but they were undone by two Nicolas Pepe goals, either side of half-time.

After a 7-1 thrashing by Germany on their World Cup debut, and a battling 0-0 draw with Ecuador for their first ever point at the tournament, the defeat to the Ivorians sees them finishing bottom of Group E.

They will not go any further, but the 78-year-old Advocaat suggested he could be persuaded to stay.

"I have a very positive view," he said when asked about the prospect of continuing, while admitting it was a huge job to attract players and get results for the Caribbean island of 160,000 people -- the smallest country ever to play at a World Cup.

"I did not come here thinking it was my last tournament. I tried to achieve the best results with the limited resources I had," said the former Netherlands boss, who led the team to qualification but then resigned a few months later due to his daughter's illness.

He was then reappointed in May after his successor Fred Rutten resigned.

"When I was appointed, the goal was to qualify for the Gold Cup. We did that, and then it was World Cup qualification, and we did that, so I'm proud of the players."

- 'A good combo' -

Goalkeeper Eloy Room, who was unable to repeat his heroics which secured a draw against Ecuador in the last game, said he hoped Advocaat would stay on.

"I want him to continue but at the end of the day it is his own decision," admitted Room, who plays in the US for Miami FC in the United Soccer League.

"He has had a long and beautiful career, so I think we have to give him space and let him decide.

"But of course we want to work with him. He is a great coach and we have achieved a lot of things, so I think it is a good combo."

He is part of a squad made up almost entirely of players born in the Netherlands.

As they head home from the World Cup, their next assignment will be the CONCACAF Nations League which starts in September.

That will also serve as a qualifying competition for next year's Gold Cup.

"This has been a great experience for us. It has been a long journey that started a long time ago," said Room, 37.

"We wanted to show the world what we can do. We brought a lot of joy to the tournament, spirit, fight and we can be proud of all that.

"Today we also showed we can play on the highest stage. Of course this is going to bring a lot of exposure to Curacao.

"The whole world knows who we are, and there is a lot of good talent coming up through the youth teams so that is the future of Curacao."

G.Tsang--ThChM