Striker savours experience

CHRIS Killen’s New Zealand may have suffered an early exit in the football tournament, but the former Athletic striker has still savoured every moment of his Olympic Games experience, writes TONY BUGBY.

Killen featured in a defeat 5-0 to a Brazil side which contained Ronaldinho.

He said: “Brazil had millions of pounds worth of players on the bench, including Manchester City striker Jo. That shows the depth of talent they have at their disposal.

“Most of our players are not full-time professionals. They are playing domestic football back home, so you have to put things into perspective when you consider we are playing against the world’s best.”

Though the Kiwis played two of their games in Shenyang and the third in Shanghai, Killen says they were still able to take in the Olympic atmosphere.

He explained: “We arrived in Beijing and spent four or five days in the Olympic village so managed to sample a little bit of the buzz before moving on.”

NEIL Kilkenny’s Australia were also eliminated after their 1-0 defeat against the Ivory Coast.