The local killer again. Uruguaythat annoying visitor, who once again eliminated the home team. Like against France in the 24 Olympic Games, Holland in the 28 Games, Brazil in the great Maracanazo in the 50 World Cup, Argentina in the 87 Copa America, again Messi’s Argentina in the 2011 Copa America, South Africa in the 2010 World Cup, Russia in the 2018 World Cup, Venezuela in the 2007 Copa America and Paraguay in the 1999 Copa America. This time, they were eliminated. USA along the way, in his America Cupaccumulating the great frustration of not being able to advance from the group stage.
The Celeste won by a narrow margin and closed the first phase with a perfect score: 9 points out of 9, nine goals scored and only one conceded. Now they will face Colombia or Brazil, who today in Santa Clara will decide first and second place. It will be on Saturday in Las Vegas, in the big match of the quarterfinals. Uruguay will have to play against whoever comes second. The first of that group will face Panama.
Pulisic and Mathias Olivera, in a match
Ronald Araújo played a heavenly match. Colossal up and down, firm, tough, perfect. A great match, one of his best nights. Against a local team that complicated things in the first half hour and started off with risks. Ronald is a centre-back, he is playing as a centre-back in this Copa América, and everything points to the fact that if Brazil is the rival and Vinicius is his star, Araújo will continue as a centre-back.
Uruguay went from strength to strength. Marcelo Bielsa fielded his first eleven, without holding back any players. The game was lacking in football at the start, but De La Cruz and Ugarte grew in the middle, and the sky blue took control of the game. In the second half, the home team, although they were being eliminated, did not show any reaction. A cross from Nicolás De la Cruz led to Mathias Olivera’s goal, which defined the night.
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Now the real Cup begins. Uruguay will have to beat powerful teams to be champions. First Brazil and Colombia, and eventually Argentina in the final. The road is thorny, just as Uruguayan football likes it best.
DATA SHEET
0 – United States: Matt Turner; Joe Scally (Haji Wright, m.79), Chris Richards, Tim Ream (Malik Tillman, m.89), Antonee Robinson; Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah (Josh Sargent, d.72), Tyler Adams; Gio Reyna, Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun (Ricardo Pepi, m.41)
1 – Uruguay: Sergio Rochet; Nahitan Nández, Ronald Araújo, Mathías Olivera, Matías Viña (José María Giménez, d.72); Federico Valverde, Manuel Ugarte (Sebastián Cáceres, m.89), Nicolás de la Cruz (Rodrigo Betancur, m.79); Facundo Pellistri, Darwin Núñez (Luis Suárez, m.89) and Maximiliano Araújo (Cristian Olivera, m.27)
Goal: 0-1, Mathias Olivera (m. 66)
Referee: Kevin Ortega (Peru). He cautioned Uruguayan Darwin Núñez (m.45+3) and Americans Tyler Adams (m.17) and Chris Richards (m.32)
Incidents: Match of the third day of Group C of the Copa América played at the Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City (Missouri, United States) in front of 55,460 spectators.
