Argentina coach, Lionel Scaloni, has revealed why his star-studded side lost 2-0 to Colombia in the Group B opening game of the Copa America last night.
Scaloni blamed the condition of the pitch and his players for losing the ball away to the opponent too easily.
The coach described the state of the pitch as “lamentable.”
Goals from Roger Martinez and Duvan Zapata ensured that Lionel Messi and his teammates where defeated in their first game.
“We were good in the first 20 minutes then we had a bad end to the half,” Scaloni told post match press conference.
“We lost the ball a lot but in the second half we were very superior to Colombia. Then, when we were playing at our best, they scored on the counter-attack.
“But the thing I will take from the game is that we were able to adjust and improve in the second half,” he added. “That might not sound like much, but it will help us in our next games.”
Argentina, who won the last of their 14 South American titles in 1993, face Paraguay in their second match in Belo Horizonte on Wednesday.
Colombia, Copa America champions once in 2001, top Group B with three points ahead of Qatar’s meeting with Paraguay on Sunday.
They next play the Qataris in Sao Paulo, also on Wednesday.