2024-07-12 00:17:14
Favorites for the title due to their form in the tournament and the path taken in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Colombia and Uruguay will star in one of the expected semifinals in the 2024 Copa América in the United States, after imposing their law on Panama and Brazil in the quarterfinals.
The coffee growers extended their unbeaten streak to 27 games, 24 under the leadership of Argentine Nestor Lorenzo, with a 5-0 thrashing of Panama, which had little to do at State Farm Stadium in the Glendale desert (Arizona).
Uruguay, for its part, found the pass by defeating Brazil 4-2 in a dramatic penalty shootout at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, after an intense 0-0 draw in the 90 minutes, in which it lost left back Nahitan Nández due to expulsion in the 73rd minute.
Uruguay-Colombia will be played on Wednesday (00:00 GMT on Thursday) in Charlotte (North Carolina, southeast), and the winner will face the winner of the Argentina-Canada duel in the final on Sunday 14 in Miami, scheduled for Tuesday (00:00 GMT on Wednesday) in East Rutherford (New Jersey).
The last face-to-face between Colombians and Uruguayans took place in the Caribbean city of Barranquilla, in mid-October 2023, during the qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup in North America, a match that ended in a 2-2 draw.
With six of the eighteen rounds of South American qualifying played, Uruguay is second in the table with 13 points, one more than Colombia, which is third. Argentina, the world champion and defending continental champion, leads with 15 points.
– Colombia, in training mode –
Colombia showed its best football in the 5-0 thrashing of Panama in Glendale, a task led again by James Rodríguez with a goal and two assists.
Jhon Córdoba, at 8 minutes, James Rodríguez (16, from a penalty), Luis Díaz (41), Richard Ríos (70) and Miguel Ángel Borja (90+4, from a penalty) were in charge of the Colombian goals, which repeat their presence in the Copa América semifinals three years later.
In Brazil-2021, the coffee growers fell to Argentina 3-2 in a penalty shootout, on a glorious night for goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez in which he saved three shots, after a 1-1 draw in the 90 minutes of the game played in Brasilia.
“We’re going game by game. It’s an illusion to say final, semi-final, quarter-final, anything can happen. The objective is to win the next game,” said Colombian coach Lorenzo.
“We were able to score goals quickly and that gave us control of the game,” said James, who at 32 years old is having another good moment wearing the tricolor.
– An intimidating Celeste –
Uruguay continued their unblemished run in the Copa America and got rid of regional heavyweight Brazil, one of the tests that Marcelo Bielsa suggested were necessary to determine the true potential of La Celeste.
As is often the case with classic matches between Uruguayans and Brazilians, the game in Las Vegas was played with a knife between the teeth and the blocks well sharpened, in a development with few goal-scoring situations in the arches, shared possession, but without real depth.
Uruguayan goalkeeper Sergio Rochet of Inter Porto Alegre was instrumental in the penalty shoot-out by saving the first penalty from Éder Militao of the five-time world champions, while Douglas Luiz hit the right post for the third.
José María Giménez left his shot in the hands of Allison, who flew in off the left post, and Manuel Ugarte (Paris Saint-Germain) executed the fifth penalty that gave the Celeste the victory.
Uruguay had not reached the semi-finals of the Copa América since winning the title in Argentina in 2011, a year after finishing fourth in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
– Messi improves with Canada in mind –
World champions and defending continental champions Argentina stepped up their work on Saturday in Houston ahead of their new match against the Canadians, whom they defeated 2-0 in the opening game of the group stage.
Coach Lionel Scaloni is considering minor changes to the lineup he used against Ecuador (4-2 on penalties, 1-1 in the 90 minutes), taking into account the Canucks’ style of play, and one of them would be related to the presence of Ángel Di María.
Fideo was a starter against the Americans in Atlanta, but against Chile and Ecuador his place went to Nicolás González (Fiorentina).
Messi, who had a discreet game against the central team, was making progress in his recovery from discomfort in his right adductor, while Marcos Acuña trained with the group and returned to the left-back position.
