KANSAS CITY: Colombia coach Nestor Lorenzo praised his side’s defensive discipline after Friday’s 1-0 win over Ghana sent them into the World Cup round-of-16, saying their ability to protect a narrow lead was key to securing a meeting with Switzerland.

Jhon Arias scored Colombia’s only goal in the 14th minute, shortly after the African team were forced into a defensive reshuffle when right-back Marvin Senaya went off injured and was replaced by Alidu Seidu.

Lorenzo said Colombia’s defenders had a demanding role because the team played high up the pitch for long stretches of the game.

“After creating several chances and not converting, I liked how we defended,” Lorenzo told reporters. “I value the fact that we did not suffer much, apart from the opponent’s clear chances,” Lorenzo added.

James Rodriguez was not injured after being substituted, Lorenzo said, describing the change as tactical while noting several players had been dealing with flu-like symptoms. Jhon Cordoba was the only player to finish the match with an injury concern, coach Lorenzo said, adding that the severity would only be known after tests.

Colombia will face Switzerland in last 16 on Tuesday in Vancouver.

“They have order, but also good players from midfield and forward,” Lorenzo said. “They play very well. It is going to be a very tough match.”

Meanwhile, Ghana manager Carlos Queiroz said that his side’s lack of experience and inability to stay calm under pressure were decisive factors in the defeat.

“I felt really quickly that some of the Ghanaian players were fearful. They were not cool, calm, and collected when the pressure hit,” Queiroz said.

“It’s a very young team. We need more experience, we need time for some players to win what we call maturity,” the 73-year-old Portuguese manager added. “When you play this kind of competition at this level, you cannot only count on the enthusiasm of the youths,” he said.

Queiroz said Colombia were the better team on the night and deserved to move forward.

“The goal came too early for us ... It took some time for us to adjust and recover from that substitution, and the goal came at the moment we were trying to resettle our team,” Queiroz said.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2026