RIO DE JANEIRO, June 29: Uruguay beat Paraguay 1-0 on Monday to finish second in Group A and move into a Copa America quarterfinal against Colombia. The result also left Chile to face defending champion and host Brazil in the next stage.
Edinson Cavani scored from the penalty spot in the 21st minute for the only goal of the match at the Nilton Santos Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Uruguay would have had to face Brazil if it had lost to Paraguay, which had already secured its place in the knockout phase.
In the quarterfinals on Friday, Brazil and Chile will meet at the Nilton Santos stadium and Paraguay will take on Peru at the Olimpico Stadium in Goiania. The winners of those matches will meet in the semifinals.
On Saturday, Argentina will meet Ecuador in Goiania and Uruguay and Colombia will face off at the Mane Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia. The winners of those matches will play off for a spot in the final.
In Monday’s other match, Lionel Messi scored twice as an Argentina team split between frequent starters and substitutes beat last-place Bolivia 4-1. Papu Gómez opened the scoring in the 6th minute.
Messi, who also broke Argentina’s all-time record with his 148th appearance for the national team, netted the two following goals. The first came from the spot in the 33rd and the second after a beautiful lob over Bolivian goalkeeper Carlos Lampe in the 42nd.
Erwin Saavedra scored for Bolivia on the hour but substitute Lautaro Martinez restored the three-goal cushion in the 65th from close range.
Lionel Messi’s two goals and one assist helped Argentina ensure top spot in Group A, setting up a quarterfinal against Ecuador on Saturday.
Messi made his Argentina debut in 2005 in a 2-1 win in a friendly against Hungary. He was sent off during that match after hitting a rival with his elbow.
The Barcelona striker, who holds the all-time Argentina high of 75 goals, is also seeking to break two South American records: Pele’s as the top goal scorer of a national team (77 for Brazil), and Chile’s Sergio Livingstone mark of 34 for most Copa America appearances (Messi has 31).
Diego Maradona scored 32 goals in 87 matches for Argentina, including the 1986 World Cup triumph. Messi, despite his impressive individual statistics, is yet to win a major title for Argentina.
He was runner-up at the 2014 World Cup and at two editions of Copa America in 2015 and in ’16. Messi leads all Copa America scorers with three in four matches. He has two assists, as many as Brazil’s Neymar.
Sports data site SofaScore places him on top in the tournament so far in successful dribbles (21), shots on target (10), total duels won (40), and goals from outside of the box (2).
There was some magic in the long-range goals; a curling free kick in the 1-1 draw with Chile and a perfectly timed lob over Bolivia goalkeeper Carlos Lampe.
The next step is a quarterfinal against Ecuador on Saturday in Goiania.
Messi has yet to win the Copa America, his best being runner-up in 2007, 2015 and 2016. (AP)
