It was a very disappointing game from Colombia as they were beaten by Chile 2-0 in the semifinal of the Copa America Centenario. It was two goals in twelve minutes that sealed the deal for Chile, who look to repeat as Copa American champions. After losing to penalties against Argentina in the quarterfinals last year, this is a very tough result for Colombia. After the game, head coach Jose Pekerman gave his thoughts on the game.
Thoughts on the match
When he was asked about what went wrong in the match, Pekerman replied
"We didn’t complete plays at key moments” and “This match we made mistakes and we paid for our mistakes”.
Pekerman wasn't happy about the referee's choice to not award Colombia on a penalty that looked like a clear call at the start of the second half.
“It was a clear penalty that could have changed the game”.
He also acknowledged the strength of the opposing team in Chile and gave his thoughts on the final of Chile vs Argentina.
"What’s sensational is that Chile had a bad tournament (at the start of the tournament) and they grew throughout the tournament”.
“It’s going to be a very tight final,” said the Colombian coach and later added that the final would be, "very even as was the final in the Copa America in Chile”.
Looking forward to the third place game
Now with the loss, Colombia is slated to face the United States in the third place game in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday. Pekerman was also asked about that matchup as well.
“We should move on and forget this match”.
“We must recover emotionally”.
“We must have a great match for 3rd place,” said Pekerman when asked about the things his team needs to do before the 3rd place game.