Lionel Messi and Edinson Cavani led Argentina (ARG) and Uruguay (URU), respectively, to a victory in the final two fixtures of the Copa America 2021 group stage. The FC Barcelona legend scored two goals and turned provider for another in the 1-4 win over Bolivia (BOL). A first-half penalty from Cavani sealed all three points for Uruguay against Paraguay (PAR).
Here’s a recap of the action from Copa America matchday 10:
BOL vs ARG
A dominant Argentina crushed Bolivia to seal a first-place finish in Group A. Messi was heavily involved in the first three goals, and Lautaro Martinez completed the rout with a fourth goal. The 14-time winners will meet Ecuador in the quarter-finals on Sunday.
Bolivia goalkeeper Carlos Lampe made a double save in the third minute of the match. Alejandro Dario Gomez teed up Sergio Aguero and the forward’s attempt to poke it in, and Angel Correa’s attempt from the rebound, too, was blocked by the goalkeeper. However, three minutes later, Messi from the edge of the box chipped the ball into the path of Dario Gomez, who hammered it home to give Argentina the lead. Messi doubled the advantage courtesy of a penalty in the 33rd minute. Right-back Diego Bejarano fouled Dario Gomez inside the box, and the skipper made no mistake from the spot.
Things got worse for Bolivia as they conceded the third goal a few minutes before the half-time whistle. Messi, after released by Aguero, lobbed the ball over Lampe to register his third goal in the tournament. The story of the second half was no different, but Bolivia pulled a goal back through Erwin Saavedra in the 60th minute. The 25-year-old finished off an excellent move involving Jeyson Chura and Leonel Justiniano. However, Inter Milan’s Martinez ended any hopes of a Bolivia comeback after smashing home a rebound.
Goalscorers: BOL – E Saavedra; ARG – A Gomez, L Messi (2), L J Martinez
Assists: BOL – L Justiniano; ARG – L Messi, S Aguero
Top Five Fantasy Points scorers: L Messi (27.5 pts), A Gomez (13.5 pts), E Saavedra (12.5 pts), L J Martinez (10 pts), L Justiniano (8.5 pts)
URU vs PAR
Uruguay defeated Paraguay 1-0 and set up a clash with Colombia in the Copa America 2021 quarter-finals. They finished second in Group A, picking up two wins, a draw, and a defeat.
Flamengo’s Giorgian De Arrascaeta could have completed a brace within the opening ten minutes as two attempts from the 27-year-old went inches wide of the goal. In the 19th minute, Paraguay succumbed to Uruguay’s pressure by conceding a penalty. Angel Romero fouled Nahitan Nandez from behind, and the referee pointed to the spot. Cavani sent the Paraguay goalkeeper the wrong way to grab the lead for his side. It was the Manchester United forward’s second goal in Copa America 2021.
Paraguay had the ball in the back of the net in the early minutes of the second half. But the offside flag went up immediately. At the other end, Antony Silva, the Paraguay goalkeeper, denied Arrascaeta and Luis Suarez. With the game into the stoppage time, David Martinez won a free-kick at the edge of the box. The set-piece fell at the feet of a Peru player, but he couldn’t direct it towards the goal.
Goalscorers: URU – E Cavani; PAR – none
Assists: URU – none; PAR – none
Top Five Fantasy Points scorers: E Cavani (12 pts), J Gimenez (9.5 pts), M Vina (8 pts), F Muslera (7.5 pts), R Bentancur (7 pts)
Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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