SAO PAULO: Qatar defender Tarek Salman praised his team’s fighting spirit following a Copa America match against Colombia on Wednesday night. Colombia beat Qatar 1-0 after a late striker by Duvan Zapata in the 85th minute. “It was a tough match with big challenges for both sides,” Salman said after he exchanged jerseys with Colombian star James Rodriquez. Salman said he was thrilled to get praise from attacking midfielder Rodriguez. “We deserved a draw,” Salman said. "We had a lot of chances to score while the Colombians played one of their best matches and we were able to reach a goal with a lethal move but when they scored, we didn’t have time to stage a comeback," Salman said. "Our team, however, tried to get back in the end by attacking and we almost did score but missed out,” he said. "These are the games you see now and we have to forget this clash now and look to our meeting against Argentina (on June 23),” he added. Salman said his team still had a chance to qualify for the next stage provided that we play well against former world champions Argentina. “We are proud with our display. Hopefully we will do well against Argentina also,” Salman said. Qatar drew 2-2 against two-time Copa champions Paraguay in their first match on June 16.