Carlos Queiroz: "Colombia passed a maturity test"
2019-06-19
The coach of the Cafeteros analyzed the victory over Qatar that gave them the classification to the second round of CONMEBOL Copa América Brasil 2019.
Colombia has passed a «maturity test» by winning 1-0 to a defensive Qatar and classifying to the quarterfinals of the CONMEBOL Copa América in Brazil 2019, said after the match the coach cafetero, Carlos Queiroz. (Read here: Colombia defeats Qatar and is the first to qualify for the quarterfinals.)
«The match was a test of maturity and the players have done very well», said the Portuguese, who bet on Duvan Zapata as a goal man from the start of the game. (Read also: «We’re on the right track,» says James Rodriguez.)
«We prepared these situations very well, we knew it could happen, everyone was ready to fight and play for 90 minutes (…) At the end of the game we suffered because we didn’t have the ability to score an early goal», he explained.
The Portuguese said Colombia played the way he likes. «Ninety minutes of concentration, ninety minutes of pressure, always attacking the opponent and when we lost the ball, there is a great merit in not letting Qatar play», he said.
Already classified to the next phase, the Cafeteros still have to comply with the procedure to face Paraguay in the Arena Fonte Nova of Salvador (northeast).
«We’re going to analyze the players who are tired, with fatigue» to assemble the team for that duel, said the TD.
Despite the result, Qatar can still aspire to reach the quarterfinals as one of the two best third-placed players, depending on other results.