WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SAY?

Do you want to specify OR not?

Here the game is definitely over.

1. Team A played well, but they lost because we have better players and better tactics.

Here, the past is signaled, that's all.
2. Team A has played well [implying, for example, this season], but they've lost [unspecified] because we have better players and better tactics.
COMPARE:

Team A played well [last week], but they lost [the last game] because we have better players and better tactics.

• I've worked there but am not working there now.

The present perfect is used to make a statement in the present about the past without qualifying when in the past something occurred.

• We've brushed the cat [unspecified past] a lot but not recently. COMPARE
• We brushed the cat a lot last month. [specified past, last month]

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SAY?

Do you want to specify OR not?

Here the game is definitely over.

1. Team A played well, but they lost because we have better players and better tactics.

Here, the past is signaled, that's all.
2. Team A has played well [implying, for example, this season], but they've lost [unspecified] because we have better players and better tactics.

COMPARE:

Team A played well [last week], but they lost [the last game] because we have better players and better tactics.

• I've worked there but am not working there now.

The present perfect is used to make a statement in the present about the past without qualifying when in the past something occurred.

• We've brushed the cat [unspecified past] a lot but not recently. COMPARE
• We brushed the cat a lot last month. [specified past, last month]