Colombia suffered due to delayed start: Coach Nestor Lorenzo

Nestor Lorenzo. Pic/AFP

Colombia coach Nestor Lorenzo said his team had been impacted by the delayed start to the Copa America final on Sunday but conceded that winners Argentina were creating a golden era.

"I think we had a very good build-up to the game but then some unusual situations started to happen," he said referring to the 82-minute delay to the match caused by crowd and security problems at the entrances to the stadium.

"[The players] warmed up, cooled down, warmed up again, before the kick-off. Then we had 25 minutes of half-time, strange things for both teams," he said.
The extended interval was to allow for a show from Colombian singer Shakira.

"Generally, the tension is felt more by those who have less experience in finals, and it took its toll on us," Lorenzo added.

"It's not easy to play in a final for everyone, the boys felt a bit of the effort of the whole tournament, they played six games in 21 days.

"I must clarify, all the players who I substituted, all of them, came off with cramp, some in both legs, but all of them asked to be changed," he added.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni agreed that the long delay had been a strange challenge for his players too. "What happened before the game is difficult to explain, difficult to understand, players standing for an hour outside the stadium," he said.

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