Holland coach Marco van Basten said that he was glad after his side reached the second phase in the World Cup following their 2-1 win over Ivory Coast in Stuttgart on Friday. "It was a very difficult match because Ivory Coast have a very good team," Van Basten said in a press conference after the game. "But I must pay compliments to my players because they fought hard. "We started very well but after that it became difficult, in the second half we could only defend." Holland are currently in second spot of Group C behind Argentina on goal difference and the Dutch coach said that after securing qualification, there is still much room for improvement in his team. "We'll take it step by step, and we will see how it goes against Argentina next," Van Basten added. On the other hand, Ivory Coast coach Henri Michel couldn't hide his sadness after the defeat that sent his side out of the tournament. "We had a lot of hope coming into this tournament, but this is more than disappointing," Michel said after the game. The French tactician added that despite producing brave shows against Argentina and Holland, his team players couldn't execute what was enough to bring them to the next stage. "Everyone tells me this team plays good football, but what's important is the result, the main thing we lack is experience," Michel said. "We are out and that's the bottom line, it means that Ivory Coast are still not at the level of big teams."
