Colombia coach says his side took ‘step forward’ in 1-1 draw with Brazil
Colombia’s coach Nestor Lorenzo said his side took “another step forward” in their 1-1 draw with Brazil to close out the Copa America group stage.
A free kick for Brazil’s Raphinha resulted in an early goal at the 12-minute mark, but it was matched by Colombia’s Daniel Munoz in the dying moments of the first half.
The result ensured both teams progressed to the quarter-finals, with Colombia – who topped group D ahead of Brazil – facing Panama on Sunday, while Brazil take on Uruguay on the same day.
It also meant Colombia advanced out of the group stage with two wins and a draw.
Speaking after the match, Lorenzo said his side has continued to improve through each match of the tournament.
“This was a match that we all wanted to have our strong moments of play, and I think we have taken another step forward,” he said.
“With Brazil, you cannot be careless not even one second.
“There’s a sense of satisfaction after playing such a strong opponent. Now we need to think about Panama.”
Brazil needed to avoid a loss to guarantee their ticket to the knockout stage after only managing a win and a draw from their opening two matches.
A lacklustre second half was almost brought back to life by another brilliant free kick from Raphina, but he could not find his target this time around.
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