Colombia coach Nestor Lorenzo said his team paid the price for not taking their chances after their World Cup campaign ended against Switzerland.
Switzerland beat Colombia 4-3 on penalties after a goalless draw in the round of 16.
Lorenzo said his players did enough over 120 minutes to deserve a better result. He felt Colombia showed more attacking intent in a close and balanced match.
“What we lacked, without doubt, was scoring a goal,” Lorenzo told reporters.
“We knew it was going to be a very closed (down) match, very tactical, very even. Even so, I think we deserved a little more in the 90 minutes because of the intentions we had and the shots we took.”
The coach said both teams lost energy as the match went on. That made the game slower before it went to penalties.
Lorenzo also explained why he replaced midfielder Jhon Arias. He said Arias was tired and was at risk of receiving a second yellow card. That could have ruled him out of the next match if Colombia had advanced.
He also took off Luis Suarez late in the game after the forward received a yellow card.
“We were afraid that with one late challenge we could be left with one less player. And energy too,” he said.
Lorenzo pointed to his team’s attacking numbers but admitted they could not finish their chances.
“We had 15 attempts. That is a lot, and not scoring, you pay for it. There is nothing to reproach. Sometimes the ball goes in and sometimes it doesn’t.”
