Team GB's water polo coach Nick Buller has told Sports Mole that he is "bitterly disappointed" after watching his side suffer their second loss at the European Games.
GB eventually fell to Germany 10-8 this afternoon in a close affair that saw several missed opportunities for the Brits to add to their tally and win the game.
Following yesterday's opening day 20-2 defeat to Greece, GB now have slim hopes of progressing to the last eight.
Sports Mole caught up with Buller moments after the game to get his reaction to the performance.
How do you feel about today's result?
"I'm bitterly disappointed to lose. I thought we could have won it. I think the posts had a great game. Our shooting just wasn't there, given the opportunities we created. We could have won the game and I'm bitterly disappointed we didn't."
There are positives though - you drew the third quarter, won the last quarter, won all four swim-offs.
"There are lots of positives but with Germany, the resources they have - the training facilities are way above GB. They had a tournament with Austria and New Zealand only last week, and we could only dream of that sort of operation. But the way we played, we could have won it. It's just the opportunities that were created, they hit the post - it just didn't go in and that's why we're disappointed. In some ways we did play really well."
What did you say to the girls last night after the Greece game and what will you say to them tonight?
"The most important thing here is our spirit and being British, it's all about never giving up. We call it the bulldog spirit, so this is what we cherish as a value because we know we're gonna play some tough games. We've got a tough game tomorrow against Holland so staying [mentally strong] is the most important thing, and as far as that's concerned our girls are ten out of ten."
You mentioned the British spirit there and there's certainly a great turnout from GB in the crowds. How much does that help the girls?
"It was fantastic. All the girls could hear it, it inspires them. Ordinarily we'd have expected Germany to beat us by more goals and I think that support helped us make it close, and I'm just sorry we couldn't deliver the win for them."
Looking ahead to The Netherlands tomorrow, what do you expect from that match?
"A really hard game, similar to the Greece game, so we're going to have to again understand that's it's going to be very difficult and not let our heads drop. Also we should look to improve - see where we struggled against Greece and where we did well, and use that to improve."
Neil Wilkes
