EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J./ ATLANTA, 28th June, 2024 (WAM) -- In Copa America, Uruguay routed Bolivia 5-0, and Panama beat United States 2-1 in important Group C matches late on Thursday (early Friday in the UAE).
Uruguay's dominant win against Bolivia
Darwin Núñez and his Uruguayan teammates romped through Bolivia's defence as if it were a training game.
Núñez scored in his seventh straight international match, a 5-0 rout on Thursday night that moved Uruguay to the verge of a Copa America quarter-final, according to an Associated Press report.
Facundo Pellistri put the Uruguayans ahead in the eighth minute and Núñez doubled the lead in the 21st with his 10th goal in his last seven games for Uruguay and 13th in 25 matches overall.
Maximiliano Araújo scored his second goal of the tournament in the 77th, and Federico Valverde (81st) and Rodrigo Bentancur (89th) added goals in Uruguay's first five-goal game since beating Panama 5-0 in a June 2022 friendly.
Seeking its record 16th Copa America title, Uruguay is 2-0 for six points with a plus-seven goal difference and would advance with at least a draw on Monday against the U.S. at Kansas City, Missouri, or perhaps even a loss. The U.S. has three points and plus-one goal difference and Panama three points and minus-one difference.
Bolivia has lost 14 consecutive Copa America matches dating to 2015 and has one win in its last 32. With no points and a minus-seven goal difference, it has almost no chance of advancing going into Monday’s match against Panama at Orlando, Florida. Bolivia is likely to be eliminated in the group stage for fourth straight time.
Panama's late goal leads to beating U.S.
Tim Weah threw an inexcusable punch, and the United States took a huge blow to its hopes of advancing at the Copa America.
José Fajardo beat backup goalkeeper Ethan Horvath in the 83rd minute to give Panama a 2-1 victory on Thursday night over the shorthanded Americans, putting the host country in danger of elimination if it does not beat Uruguay in its first-round finale.
The U.S. played most of the game a man down after Weah was sent off in the 18th minute. Weah issued a public apology on social media.
Weah was sent off by Salvadoran referee Iván Barton with a straight red card for punching Roderick Miller in the back of the head.
Folarin Balogun put the U.S. ahead in the 22nd minute but César Blackman tied the score in the 26th.
Horvath, who replaced injured Matt Turner at halftime, could not prevent Fajardo's close-range shot from going through his arms, and Panama beat the U.S. for just the third time in 27 meetings.
The U.S., which opened with a 2-0 win against Bolivia, plays 15-time Copa champion Uruguay on Monday at Kansas City, Missouri.
For U.S. to advance, it must either beat Uruguay and have a greater goal difference than Panama if Panama beats Bolivia; tie Uruguay while Panama and Bolivia also draw; or lose to Bolivia while finishing with a better goal difference than Panama and Bolivia. The U.S. is plus-one, Panama minus-one and Bolivia plus-seven.
Panama also finished a man short after Adalberto Carrasquilla was given a red card in the 88th for chopping down Pulisic from behind. The U.S. threw everyone forward in a desperate attempt to tie the game -- including Horvath -- but Panama held.
Panama lost to Uruguay 3-1 in its opener and closes group play in Orlando, Florida, against Bolivia, a team with 14 straight Copa America losses after a 5-0 rout by the Uruguayans in the late game Thursday night.