Colombia coach blasts referee and England side

Colombia coach Jose Nestor Pekerman told reporters on Tuesday that it’s difficult for him to accept being knocked out of the World Cup by England. He also said the referee’s decisions in their round of 16 clash made the match “uncomfortable” for him.

Colombia drew 1-1 with England in the 2018 World Cup and lost the match 3-4 on penalties.

In the 57th minute, England were awarded a penalty because of a Colombian player’s foul inside the box and Harry Kane opened the scoring for England by successfully converting the penalty.

Yerry Mina scored for Colombia in the 93rd minute to send the match into extra time.

At the post-match press conference, Pekerman expressed his anger at the referee’s decisions and the performance of the England players.

“It was uncomfortable to play this match knowing the feelings about the referee’s decisions. There was a lot of confusion on the pitch today,” said Pekerman.

He also criticised the England players. “A player faked being fouled because he was pushed by the opponent and they tried to let the referee book another player. We saw [this kind of thing] over and over again,” he said.

Pekerman praised Colombia’s performance in the match. “This was a brave team that has fought hard and has progressed. We’ve never thrown in the towel when facing an opponent.”