RIO DE JANEIRO, July 4: Two penalty shootout saves by goalkeeper David Ospina put Colombia in the semifinals of Copa America on Saturday along with Argentina after a 0-0 draw with Uruguay in regular time and kept alive its hopes of a first Copa title since 2001.
The 4-2 shootout win at the Mané Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia also broke Colombia’s bad luck in recent penalty shootouts and placed 32-year-old Ospina as the team’s player with most international caps, with 112, overtaking retired captain Carlos Valderrama.
Ospina made saves from Uruguay’s Jose Maria Gimenez and Matias Viña which set up a semifinal matchup against Argentina, which beat Ecuador 3-0 in Saturday’s late match. Duván Zapata, Davinson Sanchez, Yerry Mina and Miguel Borja all scored in the shootout, with veteran strikers Edinson Cavani and Luis Suárez converting their spot kicks.
Saturday’s victory ended a long trauma for in penalty shootouts for Colombia after painful exits in the 2015 and 2019 Copa America editions against Argentina and Chile, respectively. Colombia was also knocked out on penalties in the round-of-sixteen clash against England in the 2018 World Cup.
Colombia put more pressure on Uruguay from the start despite the absences of suspended winger Juan Guillermo Cuadrado and injured midfielder Matheus Uribe.
Uruguay’s Muslera made the save of the match in the 71st minute in a header by Zapata. Veteran strikers Suárez and Cavani did not get any clear opportunities as Uruguay’s slow build up play through midfield appeared to suit Colombia’s defense.
Colombia has reached the semifinal with only one win in five matches; a 1-0 victory against Ecuador in the first round of the group stage. The draw with Uruguay was the team’s second in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi scored his 76th international goal and is now only one shy of Pele for the South American record as Argentina beat Ecuador 3-0 on Saturday to progress to the semifinals of the Copa America.
Messi scored from a late freekick and earlier laid on two assists as Argentina eventually subdued Ecuador and kept the superstar’s dream of winning his first major international title alive.
Rodrigo de Paul opened the scoring at the Olimpico Stadium in Goiania in the 39th minute, tapping into an empty goal before Lautaro Martinez added the second in the 84th with a blast from close range. Messi, in his first match since his contract with Barcelona expired, assisted both of them. In the dying moments of the match Messi scored Argentina’s third from a free kick from the edge of the box. It was his fourth goal in the tournament.
Argentina wasted several opportunities at 1-0 to cruise to a comfortable victory. Ecuador then hit the post in the second half before Martinez doubled Argentina’s lead. But Messi became more influential after 71 minutes when Ángel di Maria stepped in replacing Giovani lo Celso.
It was his 76th goal in his 149th match for Argentina, one short of Pelé’s record as top goal scorer of a South American national team.
Defending champions Brazil and Peru will play for the other place at the July 10 final at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. (AP)
