By FRANCO PANIZO
It took longer than expected, but Argentina finally had a reason to celebrate.
Argentina recorded its first win of the Copa America, topping Costa Rica, 3-0, on Monday night in the final match of Group A. The victory advanced the albiceleste to the quarterfinals as it finished in second place of the group with five points.
Leo Messi had two assists and Sergio Aguero bagged a brace in the victory. Angel Di Maria scored the other goal.
Argentina looked to go into halftime at 0-0 after wasting several chances, but Sergio Aguero broke the deadlock just before the interval when he knocked in a rebound. The Argentines then took control of the game in the second half with Messi assisting on goals from Aguero and Di Maria.
Costa Rica finishes group play in third place with three points, but can still advance to the knockout phase if it is one of the two best third-place teams.
Here are highlight's from Argentina's win as well as more recent results from the Copa America:
COLOMBIA CRUISES AGAINST BOLIVIA TO CLAIM GROUP A
Colombia became the first team to qualify for the quarterfinals, taking first place of Group A with a 2-0 victory over Bolivia on Sunday. Radamel Falcao scored both goals in the first half for a Colombians team that has yet to allow a goal in the tournament. He got behind the back line and found the back of the net before scoring his second on a penalty kick. The win gave Colombia seven points while Bolivia was eliminated from the tournament with a guaranteed fourth-place finish on one point.
Here are the highlights:
FRED SAVES BRAZIL WITH LATE EQUALIZER
Brazil was close to disaster, but Fred rescued the Selecao with an equalizer near the death of its game against Paraguay on Saturday. Paraguay and Brazil tied 2-2 in a Group B game that saw both team's surrender the lead. Brazil went up six minutes after halftime on a Jadson goal, but Paraguay responded through an equalizer from Roque Santa Cruz and a go-ahead goal from Nelson Haedo Valdez. The Paraguayans relinquished their lead just before the final whistle though, as Fred fired a low shot into the back of the net after receiving a pass from Ganso. The Brazilians and Paraguay now sit on two points each in the group.
Here are highlights from the game:
VENEZUELA TOPS ECUADOR ON GOAL FROM GONZALEZ
Venezuela won its third ever Copa America match by beating Ecuador, 1-0, on a goal from Cesar Gonzalez in a Group B match on Saturday. Venezuela, which now has four points, took control of the group after Gonzalez fired in a shot from outside the penalty area. The win was Venezuela's third in the history of the competition, and placed Ecuador in last place of the group with one point.
Here are the match highlights:
——
What did you think of Argentina's victory? Surprised more by Brazil's struggles or Venezuela winning against Ecuador? How far do you see Colombia going?
Share your thoughts below.