Victories for Uruguay (URU) and Paraguay (PAR) confirmed the four quarter-finalists from Group A in the 47th edition of Copa America. A 0-2 win over Chile (CHI) helped Paraguay seal a place in the last eight, while Uruguay beat Bolivia (BOL) by two goals to reach the knockout stages.
Here’s a recap of the action from Copa America matchday 8.
BOL vs URU
An own goal and Edinson Cavani’s second-half strike helped Uruguay beat Bolivia 0-2. Despite the victory, Oscar Tabarez, Uruguay head coach, would have been disappointed with Luis Suarez and Cavani. The duo combined had 13 attempts on goal but managed to find the back of the net only once.
As expected, Uruguay dictated possession and could have scored the first goal within the opening 30 minutes. Giorgian De Arrascaeta and Luis Suarez saw their attempts miss the target, while Bolivia goalkeeper Carlos Lampe made a crucial interception to deny Cavani. However, Bolivia defender Jairo Quinteros gifted Uruguay their opening goal in the 40th minute. The 21-year-old blocked Arrascaeta’s pass to Cavani, but the ball deflected off the goalkeeper and rolled into the net.
The story of the second half was similar to the opening 45 minutes as Uruguay forwards showed a lack of ruthlessness in front of the goal. Bolivia came close to leveling the game after Ramiro Vaca’s attempt was tipped over by Claudio Bravo. At the other end, Lampe pulled off brilliant saves to deny Cavani and Suarez. With the game heading into the final ten minutes, winger Facundo Torres sent a routine pass to Cavani, and the Manchester United forward put the ball past the goalkeeper to end his drought.
Goalscorers: BOL – none; URU – J Quinteros (OG), E Cavani
Assists: BOL – none; URU – F Torres
Top Five Fantasy Points scorers: E Cavani (12 pts), J Gimenez (9.5 pts), F Muslera (9.5 pts), D Godin (9 pts), M Vina (9 pts)
CHI vs PAR
Paraguay climbed to second in Group A after a two-goal win over an uninspiring Chile. Braian Samudio struck the opener, and Miguel Almiron added the second courtesy of a penalty. Chile, too, sealed a place in the last eight after picking up five points from four games.
Chile kept the ball for most of the first half but rarely troubled the Paraguay backline. They struggled to turn the possession into chances and, in the 33rd minute, conceded a goal. Samudio outmuscled two Chile players and hammered a header past Bravo. A few minutes later, Carlos Espinola missed an opportunity to double the advantage after heading wide from a corner.
The 2016 winners shot themselves in the foot early in the second half. Bologna defender Gary Medel gave away a penalty as the referee found him guilty of obstructing Espinola inside the box. Almiron converted the resulting penalty and registered his first goal of the campaign. Chile struggled to find a consolation goal and had to settle for a defeat.
Goalscorers: CHI – none; PAR – B Samudio, M Almiron
Assists: CHI – none; PAR – M Almiron
Top Five Fantasy Points scorers: M Almiron (18.5 pts), B Samudio (10.5 pts), A Espinola (9.5 pts), J Alonso (8 pts) G Gomez (8 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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