By Eric Blum In East Rutherford, New Jersey
03:52 28 Jun 2024, updated 15:45 28 Jun 2024
From the car horns mimicking the Uruguayan national anthem while entering the MetLife Stadium parking lots, to the pro-Darwin Nunez crowd packing the lower bowl inside the venue more than an hour before kickoff, the supporters of the two-time World Cup winners expected a joyous night.
And the Uruguayans got one in New Jersey, spending most of the game in cruise control, overpowering the lowly Bolivian opponents at every turn.
An eighth-minute header from Facundo Pellistri set forth Uruguay’s berth into the knockout rounds of Copa America 2024. And at the final whistle, a 5-0 result confirmed its place in the final eight and the likely summit as Group C winners.
Bolivia’s chances of advancing are all but gone, unless a blowout of Panama, combined with a United States drubbing of the Uruguay team that dominated it are in order on Monday.
In Group C’s earlier Thursday contest, Panama upset the United States, who played with 10 men for a heavy majority of the match, putting the hosts in a difficult spot to qualify for the quarterfinals on home soil.
Uruguay officially advanced to the knockout stages of the 2024 Copa America with the win Federico Valverde scored in the 81st minute to give his team a 4-0 lead over Bolivia
The mood walking through the press availability was decidedly different for both teams.
Most of the Bolivian roster could not exit MetLife Stadium fast enough, although a few players stayed back to answer questions from the press.
While some Bolivian players were conducting interviews, the Uruguayan players made their way through the same mixed zone with plenty of smiles on their faces.
One Uruguayan team staffer played mariachi music through a boombox while walking behind their Bolivian opponents.
While Nunez pranced through the press availability in about 10 seconds, stopping to talk to only one reporter in a Chilean national team jersey, Federico Valverde was much more composed, knowing the triumph at hand paled in comparison to what is ahead of the national team he captains.
Playing a huge role for Real Madrid at the club level, Valverde knows not to look past the United States on Monday, even with a possible matchup against Brazil looming in the quarterfinals.
Without Luis Suarez in the starting lineup, it truly was a breeze for most of the South American clash for Marcelo Bielsa’s team.
Nunez set the tone for the game in the second minute, barely missing a free header that froze Bolivia goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra.
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The Liverpool star did not have to wait long for redemption, netting his team’s second goal in the 21st minute, his seventh straight game with a goal for Uruguay.
It was the 30th minute before Bolivia sustained real pressure in the Uruguay half of the field, but rarely tested goalkeeper Sergio Rochet on the evening.
The Bolivian supporters in the crowd hoped for something to celebrate of their own, with an apparent coup attempt taking place in the country over the last two days.
Armored vehicles rammed the doors and soldiers stormed government buildings on Wednesday as a top government official warned of an attempted coup.
Darwin Nunez scored in the 21st minute, his seventh straight game with a goal for his country Bolivian fans showed up to MetLife Stadium hoping for something to cheer for on Thursday
The country’s President Luis Arce came face-to-face with the general commander of the Army Juan José Zúñiga in the hallway of the Palacio Quemado as chaos unfolded in the capital, La Paz.
But Arce vowed to stand firm and slammed the ‘irregular’ deployment of troops as tanks and military men swarmed municipal buildings and tear gas filled the streets.
Less than an hour later, Arce announced new heads of the army, navy and air force amid the roar of supporters, and thanked the country’s police and regional allies for standing by him.
Arce said the troops who rose against him were ‘staining the uniform’ of the military.
‘I order all that are mobilized to return to their units, said the newly named army chief José Wilson Sánchez. ‘No one wants the images we’re seeing in the streets.’
Yet, those Bolivia fans, heavily outnumbered by their Uruguayan rivals, celebrated participating in the continental tournament despite any troubles back in South America.
The Bolivian players only wanted to focus on soccer after the defeating loss to Uruguay.
‘We know that it is going to be, that it is difficult. That we face (opposition) that are, you could say, steps much higher than ours,’ Bolivian goalkeeper Gustavo Almada said. ‘We will try to improve, correct details, so that we can achieve that long-awaited change that we want for our football.’
Uruguay added a third goal in the 77th minute on a Maximiliano Araujo dribbler that snuck past Viscarra,
Immediately after going up 3-0, the Uruguayan crowds chants of ‘Suarez! Suarez!’ filled MetLife Stadium.
Suarez was subbed on in the 83rd minute to the delight of the Montevideo North crowd, moments after his team extended its lead to 4-0 on a Federico Valverde goal.
Uruguay put an emphatic stamp on the end of the game with its fifth goal, a powerful header from Rodrigo Bentancur off a cross from Giorgian de Arrascaeta.
Source link : https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-13578309/amp/Uruguay-Bolivia-victory-Copa-America-knockout-stages-United-States.html
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Publish date : 2024-06-27 22:52:00
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