The selector of Colombia, Carlos Queiroz, assumed this Friday the responsibility of the win (3-0) that his team suffered at home at the hands of Uruguay and said that he is already thinking about next Tuesday's game against Ecuador, in Quito, where they will look for the three points.
“As a coach, I take full responsibility. The players fought, took risks in the game to return with the result, change the destiny of the game, but today it was not possible,” said the Portuguese, who lost the first of 17 matches he has directed in the coffee team.
The coach defended his players and said that any team that suffers an early goal, like the one scored by Edinson Cavani at minute 5, makes the game more difficult because it is not necessary to recover only “technically but also emotionally”.
“I think that the Colombian team has recovered well, because in the first half we built some scoring opportunities so we could reach halftime with a draw, I think we deserved it,” said the Portuguese after the match in the third day of the South American qualifiers to the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
However, he clarified that “the reality of the game is very clear when talking about a result like this at home” and that “there is nothing else but to get ahead and think about the next game.”
“Players always try to do their best, they want the best for their team: they make passes and dribbles, sometimes they go well and sometimes they don't, but in the end when they lose I am solely responsible for the result. I want all the players to be there. calm down because in four days there is a very important game to win, “he stressed.
In that sense, he assured that in the second half he bet “all the ammunition” on offensive players such as Luis Díaz, Alfredo Morelos and Edwin Cardona, who joined the first basemen James Rodríguez and Duván Zapata in the intentions of breaking the Uruguayan defense, something which in the end did not happen.
“I think with all humility and all honesty that watching a game on the pitch is different than watching a game on television. Goals are always a very hard moment for any team. When you suffer or when you score, that's always a hard blow to the teams that are trying to win, “he said.
Finally, Queiroz congratulated Uruguay and said: “We have to report a loss of three points at home and we are prepared to score points in Ecuador.”