By Joiner Martínez
Jun 24, 2024, 10:18 PM EDT
For coach Néstor Lorenzo, this Monday’s match against Paraguay was a “game of warriors” and he said that “Colombia was justly deserving of the victory.”
“It was a game of warriors. We know that in Paraguay they are always brave, it was a very hard-fought match,” said the Argentine coach at the press conference in Houston.
And he added: “It was not a perfect match and we did not dominate all the time and it is something that is going to happen in this Cup.”
“Thank God it ended 2-1. These games are not easy, they are very hard. Paraguay is a great team, they opened up in the first half, the second was more even, but we were justly deserving of the victory.”
He also added that he is satisfied with the result and with the team. “There are always things to improve. We will do a quick feedback to think about Costa Rica, but I agree.”
He also praised the quality of James Rodríguez. “James has a glove on his foot, he puts it very well, it can come out or not, and fortunately he gave it to us.”
Luis Díaz stated that he is always key for the team. “I am happy with Lucho, he has always played like that and he is doing well. Lucho is a player whose ideal is to put him one-on-one with an opponent, you have to leave Lucho and enjoy him. When I score it, it will surely be the winning goal.”
Another player Lorenzo praised is Richard Ríos, who he said “has not reached his ceiling.”
From the NRG Stadium playing field, Lorenzo said that at half-time the players complained that the ball was not running and he gave a positive report about Jhon Lucumí, who was hit but said it is not serious.
And in the face of Colombia’s favoritism, he reiterated: “We go game by game with humility. The most important game for us now is the next one.”
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