Roberto Mancini APOLOGISES for walking down the tunnel early before Saudi Arabia's penalty shootout loss to South Korea – as former Italy manager reveals he 'thought it was finished'

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By Milo Pope For Mailonline

Roberto Mancini has apologised for walking down the tunnel early before Saudi Arabia’s penalty shoot-out loss.

The former Manchester City manager was hoping to send his side through to the quarter-finals of the tournament.

After a nail-biting game finished 1-1 at the end of extra time, there was again high drama in a penalty shoot-out.

After Korean goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo saved penalties from Sami Al-Najei and Abdulrahman Ghareeb, it appeared Mancini had seen enough as he walked down the tunnel before the winning penalty.

Now, the manager has apologised by saying: ‘I apologise for leaving early, I thought it was finished. I didn’t want to disrespect anyone.’

Mancini could not bare to watch South Korea’s winning penalty against Saudi Arabia

Roberto Mancini was hoping to send his side through to the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup

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He then posted a tweet adding: ‘I’m really thankful to our brave players who showed resilience and character in a very tough game, they gave everything.

‘Huge thanks to our fans who made an amazing atmosphere yesterday. We worked hard to go very far in this tournament but fell short.

‘Again I reiterate my apology to everyone of my early exit to the dressing room before the end of the penalty shootout. With your support and trust we continue to build for the future of Saudi football. ‘

Asked after the game why he left, Mancini said: ‘South Korea had two chances to seal the win in the last two kicks, so I left.’

In August, Mancini made the shock announcement that he was going to ‘make history’ as Saudi Arabia’s coach just weeks after resigning from the Italy role.

The tense match finished 1-1 at the end of extra time and they were sent to a penalty shoot-out

Reports in Italy claim Mancini has signed a contract worth €25m (£21m) annually.

Mancini has signed a contract until 2027, the year Saudi Arabia hosts the Asian Cup.

Mancini resigned as Italy manager on August 13 after five years in charge of the Azzurri, with former Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti revealed as his replacement.

During his time as Italy boss Mancini won Euro 2020 and also finished in third place in the Nations League on two occasions.

Mancini, however, failed to lead Italy to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk

Roberto Mancini APOLOGISES for walking down the tunnel early before Saudi Arabia’s penalty shootout loss to South Korea – as former Italy manager reveals he ‘thought it was finished’

: Roberto Mancini APOLOGISES for walking down the tunnel early before Saudi Arabia’s penalty shootout loss to South Korea – as former Italy manager reveals he ‘thought it was finished’

:
Roberto Mancini APOLOGISES for walking down the tunnel early before Saudi Arabia’s penalty shootout loss to South Korea – as former Italy manager reveals he ‘thought it was finished’