The third match in Group C of the Copa America Centenario was at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia.
Uruguay 0 – Venezuela 1
Uruguay knew what they needed to do to keep their tournament alive. After losing their first match to Mexico, which was also the first match in the competition that CONCACAF team beat a CONMEBOL side, Uruguay had to get a win against another CONMEBOL side, Venezuela.
History would’ve told us that the best Venezuela would get from this match was a draw.
The thought of Uruguay not making it to the knockout stage never crossed the mind of the majority of fans. They possess the talent to put them in the final.
Uruguay started the match like any team that needed a win would, aggressive on attack. And throughout the match, they had various opportunities to equalize or even grab a win.
Venezuela didn’t look bothered by Uruguay’s approach in the early stages of the match. They were relying on quick counters, and they looked dangerous when they got a counter-attacking opportunity.
A pressing Uruguay forgot to take care of their defensive duties.About 40 yards out, Guerra spots Muslera off his line and tries an effort from that far out. Fernando Muslera was caught off his line. He parried the shot away long shot away, just enough to hit the bar. Salomon Rondon got on the rebound and turned that into the only goal of the match in the 36th minute. It was a goal that could have been avoided if the goalkeeper had kept his discipline and stayed in his coverage area. Mistakes in football can be very costly.
Late in the match, Venezuela looked to have decided to settle for the 1-0 scoreline. Uruguay at that point had incredible opportunities to score. Edinson Cavani was extra wasteful up front. Luis Suarez was on the bench furious about his lack of involvement in the match. You can’t blame him, as Uruguay’s attack were wasting away chances after chances.
Match finished 1-0. Venezuela has maximum points from the 2 matches played, they are on their way to the knockout stage of the Copa America Centenario.
Uruguay, on the other hand, is hoping that Mexico slips against Jamaica. A Mexico win will be the end of their tournament. And that will be a major disappointment. A team like Uruguay should not be bowing out of any international football tournament at the group stage.
As it stands….
| Group C | |||||||
| Team | Played | Win | Loss | Draw | GF | GA | Points |
| Venezuela | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Mexico | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Jamaica | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Uruguay | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
