FootballNews

Young Socceroos goalkeeper Mark Birighitti has spoken of his utter devastation after gifting Korea DPR the AFC Under-19 Championship with a last-gasp howler at the weekend.

With the scores in the final standing at 2-2 and both teams bracing for extra-time, Birighitti dropped a regulation cross that gave striker Jong Il Gwan the chance to score his third goal of the night and give the Koreans the coveted Asian title.

"I wanted to find the nearest hole and bury myself," Birighitti told The World Game during a nine-hour stopover in Shanghai on his way back to Australia.

"After the game I was devastated and I did not want to speak to anyone.

"I even had people trying to contact me from back home.

"The goal was my fault and I should have done better.

"I made the mistake of thinking before catching the ball what I was going to do next.

"I came out and just fumbled it and the guy managed to put it away.

"It was a highly shattering moment not only for me but for the whole team.

"After doing so well in the whole tournament and going out like that ... was devastating.

"It put a stab in the hearts of all the boys in the squad.

"All of them came up to me afterwards, put an arm around me and said 'don't worry about it, you got us to the final and you should keep your head high'.

"Jan Versleijen also was all positive and to have the coach and teammates sticking up for you like that shows the spirit in the team.

"I have to forget about it now and move on and keep working."

Birighitti, who is Eugene Galekovic's understudy at Adelaide United, said he was convinced that this horrible experience in the Zibo final would make him a better person and goalkeeper.

"Look, these things happen to the best goalkeepers in the world," he said.

"I was watching the Manchester United game against West Bromwich and Edwin van der Sar also made a bad and costly mistake.

"It made me realise that I'm not the only one making silly mistakes.

"But now I know that if a similar situation arises I have to make sure the focus is on the job at hand and not on what I'm going to do next.

"I'm sure this whole thing will make me stronger in the future.

"It's all part of my learning curve and I look forward to going back to my club and playing in the World Youth Cup in Colombia next year."

The Young Socceroos qualified for the finals in South America by reaching the semi-finals of the under-19 titles in China.

MJ wrote:he'll live - just needs to get out of eugene's shadow and start playing