Lautaro Martinez said he was proud to have represented Argentina at the Copa America this summer following their semifinal defeat to Brazil.
The Inter striker played the full 90 minutes as goals from Gabriel Jesus and Roberto Firmino secured a 2-0 victory for the Selecao.
Lautaro broke down in tears after the final whistle, covering his face with his shirt before being consoled by ex-Milan defender Thiago Silva.
“We’re very disappointed but we’re proud to have represented our country in the best manner possible,” the 21-year-old was reported as saying by Fox Sport.
“We played well but it wasn’t enough because Brazil scored on the only two occasions they got in behind us. We had a lot of chances to score but we’re not looking for excuses.
“There’s stuff for us to build on heading forward. We need to improve as a group and this defeat needs to be a lesson for us.”
Lautaro also criticised the refereeing performance, telling reporters there were ‘a lot of decisions we clearly couldn’t understand’.
