Edinson Cavani said that Uruguay gave everything but could not overcome the loss of Luis Suarez in the aftermath of their 2-0 loss to Colombia.
James Rodriguez scored twice to help Colombia beat the Celeste 2-0 and advance to the World Cup quarterfinals where they will face Brazil.
In a post-game press conference, the striker praised his teammates.
“We played our game, although we played without the ball a lot,” Cavani said.
“Today we have missed a few things and it did not go well.
“We gave everything… We have overcome many difficulties and we go out with heads held high.”
Cavani also used the suspension of Luis Suarez as a reason for the loss. Suarez was suspended for nine matches for an apparent bite of Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini in the previous match.
“It was a blow,” Cavani said.
“It was seemingly apparent in the TV evidence but the decision was too strong for him and our team.”
