Colombia coach Jose Pekerman has paid tribute to his team, claiming that they wanted to play a "wonderful World Cup" and not make up the numbers in Brazil.

Los Cafeteros were knocked out by the host nation in the quarter-finals, with goals from Thiago Silva and David Luiz proving crucial for A Selecao. While James Rodriguez gave the Colombians hope of a late revival, Pekerman believes that their opponents' high-energy approach was the difference.

He told reporters: "As regards everything that Colombia did during the World Cup, after being absent from the tournament for a long time we showed that we came here to play a wonderful World Cup, not just to participate.

"This is the most important thing that I can say about this national squad. Brazil needed the victory, every play there was a lot of intensity. That interrupted the game.

"We lost the fluidity of the game because of that intensity. There will always be decisive moves in matches such as this one, where a set piece can open up the result."

Rodriguez's late spot kick was his sixth goal of the tournament.

Written by
Chris O'Keefe