Lionel Messi spoke to media after Argentina’s bitter defeat over Colombia in their Copa America opener.
‘Obviously, this is not the start we wanted.’ said Messi.
‘But we must accept that. We have to give a response and move on with our head held up high.’
‘It’s not easy to start (Copa America) with this terrible loss. Losing is never good, it hurts.’
‘They kept the ball well but didn’t create clear opportunities, but when we took a step forward in the second half they scored a goal. When we were playing at our best, they scored a great goal and it cost us.’
‘This is not an excuse, but we have to say that the pitch was disgusting. It was unplayable. I don’t want to imagine what will happen from here onwards.’
‘It’s hard. We will leave today sad, angry and disappointed. These things did happen, though. If we stay crying, we won’t be fully concentrated on Paraguay clash. We have to move on.’
‘There are positives to come out of this, we are ready to accept the challenge that we have. The group is ready for the new challenge. This is just the start. if we beat Paraguay, we go back to a comfortable situation’