Sampaoli undecided on Argentina future

Jorge Sampaoli said he is undecided about his future as Argentina’s head coach following a 4-3 defeat to France in the World Cup round of 16.

The 2014 runners-up failed to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2002 and Sampaoli, appointed in June 2017, was unclear on whether he wants to stay on.

Argentina endured a tumultuous tournament in Russia, drawing 1-1 with debutants Iceland in their opening match and losing 3-0 to Croatia in their second game.

Sampaoli’s side seemed set to improve following a 2-1 victory over Nigeria but a Kylian Mbappe-inspired France put paid to their hopes of glory in Kazan.

1 – This is the first time in the history of football that #Argentina have lost a competitive match despite scoring 3+ goals (from 430 competitive games played overall). Shock. #WorldCup #ARG #FRA #FRAARG pic.twitter.com/8R9TYWI9HX

— OptaJavier (@OptaJavier) June 30, 2018

Quizzed about his future, Sampaoli told reporters: “It’s very painful, especially as the players made a huge effort, gave everything in a difficult game, but they haven’t achieved their goal.

“I’m sad, frustrated, that’s normal, but for me the fact of being here and being able to be where I want to be makes me not want to decide today.”