"The win was there. We know the win was there."
Head coach Gregor Townsend was full of pride in Scotland's showing against New Zealand but left deflated by a 25-17 defeat at Murrayfield.
The hosts trailed 17-0 at the interval, only to storm back and draw level on the hour.
However, the All Blacks, who had three players sent to the sin bin, struck late through Damian McKenzie to deny Scotland the chance of a first victory in this fixture.
"I'm really disappointed first of all, because the effort that went in that second half performance was all character," Townsend told BBC Scotland.
"We needed to kick on when it got to 17-17 and there were a couple of big moments that swung New Zealand's way.
"Outstanding second half, we showed who are today and we probably showed who we are not getting the win as well.
"There's growth in this team and we have to win those big moments when the game is there for us.
"Elements of that performance show we are up there with the best teams in the world. We just need to make that next step."