Venezuela is optimistic about its football future after coming agonizingly close to reaching its first ever Copa America final but ultimately losing to Paraguay on penalties in Wednesday's semifinal.
Although Venezuela's surprising run through the tournament came to an end in the shootout defeat, coach Cesar Farias and his players said the team's campaign in the South American competition is proof that Venezuela is here to stay as a contender in the region.
''We won't be disrespected anymore,'' Farias said. ''Venezuela doesn't fear any other team.''
The Venezuelans, known more for their baseball than football, had already made history by reaching the Copa America semifinals for the first time.
''We need to end this hypocrisy that Venezuela can't play,'' Farias said. ''We went after the goal the entire 90 minutes and then in extra time. I'm tired of hearing that only the big teams play well.''
Venezuela twice hit the post in extra time and it also hit the woodwork in the first half. After the scoreless draw, Franklin Lucena had his penalty shot saved by Paraguay goalkeeper Justo Villar and eventually lost 5-3 in the shootout. Venezuela went a man up 12 minutes into the extra time after Paraguay's Jonathan Santana was ejected for a second yellow card.
''We leave with the feeling that we should've been the finalist,'' Farias said.
Players also felt they deserved better luck.
''We fought until the end and we had our chances, but the shootout is always a lottery,'' goalkeeper Renny Vega said. ''At least we showed that Venezuela deserves some respect. We have to keep our heads high.''
Solomon Rondon added: ''We played well but didn't get the victory. It was a shame, we deserved to be in the final.''
Now the focus turns to the South America qualifying tournament for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Venezuela is the only country in the 10-team South American confederation that has never reached the World Cup.
''We will keep working to try to be successful in the qualifying tournament,'' Vega said. ''It's a dream to play in the World Cup and now we will do whatever possible to give that happiness to the Venezuelans.''
Supporters back home were proud of the ''Vinotinto'' (red wine), the team's nickname for its burgundy jersey.
Chanting ''Yes we can!,'' thousands of Venezuelans cheered their team in a Caracas plaza while watching the match on a giant television screen. The cheers turned to silence during the penalty shootout when Villar stopped Lucena's shot. Then fans covered their mouths with their hands and hung their heads until Paraguay's players raced out to celebrate their triumph.
Still, the crowd stayed positive after the loss, chanting ''Venezuela!'' and waving flags.
''We're very proud of them,'' said Dayana Pacheco, an 18-year-old university student who had painted Venezuelan flags on her cheeks. She said the team's strong performance ''has made the country much more united.''
''We've shown that Venezuelan football should be respected,'' said Alexander Rivas, a 23-year-old university student. ''For us, they're heroes.''
Ricardo Gil, a 68-year-old economist who stood on a concrete barrier to get a view above the crowd, said he felt that ''Venezuela played better football than the Paraguayans.''
''It was truly a fortuitous triumph. But the game of football is like that,'' Gil said.
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Associated Press Writer Ian James in Caracas contributed to this report.
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Tales Azzoni can be reached at http://twitter.com/tazzoni
