The third set of match days of the controversial Copa America in Brazil has come to an end. Coronavirus cases continue to rise within the event, but matches are going on in empty stadiums across the country.
Bolivia and hosts Brazil were eliminated from this round of matches, but there was still plenty of action. Venezuela rallied twice in a thrilling 2–2 draw with Ecuador, while Colombia suffered a 2–1 loss against Peru. Chile also suffered a 1–1 draw with Uruguay, while Argentina beat Paraguay 1–0 in a record-equalling night for Lionel Messi.
Finally a goal for Uruguay!
Last November, Uruguay took a 3-0 win over Colombia in World Cup qualification, and everything seemed perfect in their garden. Statistically the best South American team at the 2018 World Cup, they still had the pairing of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, as well as a generation of young and talented midfielders. what could go wrong?
Amazingly, the targets dried up. There were none in the next game against Brazil, two more World Cup qualifiers earlier this month, and none in the Copa debut, a 1-0 loss to Argentina on Friday.
The fifth consecutive shutout would be unprecedented. The team badly needed to get on the scoresheet against Chile - even more so when Eduardo Vargas gave La Rosa the lead with his first attack of note in the middle of the first half.
For this match, veteran coach Oscar Washington Tabrez recalled playmaker Giorgione de Arrascaeta. Having been around the team for almost seven years, de Arrascaeta has yet to make a big impression, although his meticulous skills remain a vital part of Brazil's all-conquering Flamengo side.
In part, their problem is Uruguay's 4-4-2, which has a pair of great strikers at the top. De Arrascaeta is not a winger. Lacking the pace for a wide midfield role, he prefers to go towards the centre. Uruguay tried to grant him his wish. Federico Valverde used his maneuvering to break from the center of midfield to the right, allowing de Arrascaeta to field.
There were some initial promises against Chile but no final product. 4-4-2 clearly didn't work. With Diego Godin at the heart of the defence, the team finds it difficult to pressurize, and full-backs don't supply enough attacking threats.
Come half-time, Tabrez made a rethink, emerging after the break and pushing three back and wing-back high. He hoped it might give D'Arrascaeta a platform, but he soon changed his mind. Before the hour mark, the flamengo schemer gave way to the new sensation of the domestic Uruguayan sport, young Facundo Torres of Penarol.
Torres, bright and full of bold left-footed dribbling, made an immediate impact, winning both and for Suarez to fire Chile's Arturo Vidal and set fire into the roof of the net at the far post. In the end Uruguay had one goal – one goal of its own, but one goal only. And they should have had more at the end of the match. At least they had reached the scoresheet, and Tabrez would have a clear head on how best to set up his side for the next match, Thursday's meeting with Bolivia, when Uruguay will hope to fill its shoes.
A win there would almost certainly be good enough to take Uruguay to the quarterfinals, where an entirely different contest begins. Now that they have ended their drought, the pressure to score will be less and keeping a clean sheet will matter more. And it could work to Uruguay's advantage.
Incompatibility of youth
Last November, young Ecuadorian winger Gonzalo Plata scored a stunning goal against Colombia in World Cup qualification, and he celebrated by taking off his shirt and twisting it around his head. This is, of course, a yellow card offence. Plata already had a yellow card, and so he went. It can be filed under "promising but infuriating".
Team coach Gustavo Alfaro has undoubtedly filed them under the same title after Sunday's 2-2 draw with Venezuela.
Plata came off the bench with an amazing singles goal to lift her side 2-1. Chasing a corner from Venezuela, he picked up the ball in his own half and ran away. It was the brainwashed Forrest Gump with a masterful change of football technique and rhythm. Plata turned away from his pursuers, relegating behind the defensive line, forced a save from Vuilcar Farinez in the Venezuelan goal and was on hand to cool a shot at home when the ball broke back.
It was a match-winning goal, and it could have done so if Plata had not lost concentration at a crucial moment. As a left winger, it was his job to track the forward runs of Venezuelan right wing-back Ronald Hernandez. But Plata closed, and Hernandez ran behind him to complete a brilliant long pass from Edson Castillo and an unexpected stoppage-time equalizer went home.
Within minutes Plata had again displayed the appalling anomalies of the youth. The fact that he put his hand up and admitted his mistake can be seen as evidence of the view that such inconsistency would not last forever.
Back to the Future for Argentina
Lionel Messi was relegated along with Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria for Argentina's game against Paraguay. And the trio, who have been working together for more than a decade, were joined by Alejandro Gómez, who scored the game's only goal.
Once again Lionel Scoloni's team got off to a brisk start. Messi and Di Maria combined for the goal, setting up the other for a ball that was met with a run from Gomez into the box and a cute chip over the keeper. Full of movement and options, the move was one of the best in Argentina. Once again he could not maintain his scintillating start but kept a clean sheet for the second game.
Playing Gomez plus front three was a possibility as Scoloni converted his usual 4-3-3. Holding midfielder Guido Rodriguez came in place of Leandro Paredes for the last match. After topping the sound performance with the only goal last time around, Rodriguez had to stay in. This time he worked with Parades in 4-2-3-1, with Di Maria and Gomez working the flanks.
Defensively, this presented a challenge, as Paraguay had the option of playing outside two Argentine midfielders. For the same reason Miguel Almiron was used widely on the left, and Argentine rookie right side Nahuel Molina was extended several times. But the defense stood firm, and Argentina were out of the game with another win and another clean sheet. Options are increasing and confidence is rising as the knockout stage.