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.

Colombia then missed an opportunity to put the game to bed, with Rafael Borre shooting the ball well over the crossbar – even though he had the chance at an open goal and an easy tap-in.