The four quarterfinalists from Group A at Copa America 2021 had already punched their tickets prior to Monday, but now we know exactly who they will play next.
Group play in the continental tournament came to a close with a pair of matches that saw Lionel Messi break an Argentina record in a lopsided affair against already-eliminated Bolivia while Uruguay edged a Paraguay side that lost Miguel Almiron to an injury during the game. Chile was off, but dropped a spot in the standings after the day’s results and will now have to face competition host Brazil in the next round.
The three other fixtures for the the start of the knockout phase have also been finalized, and they include a mouth-watering showdown between Uruguay and Colombia.
Here is how Matchday 5 in Group A went, the updated table, and the schedule for the quarterfinal contests with TV info:
Bolivia 1, Argentina 4
(Erwin Saavedra 60′) — (Alejandro Gomez 6′; Lionel Messi (penalty) 33′, 42′; Lautaro Martinez 65′)
Lionel Messi just made some more history with Argentina, and he did so with an emphatic performance in a lopsided victory that punctuated the team’s impressive showing in the group stage.
Messi became the most-capped player for his nation by making his 148th appearance, and celebrated the occasion with two goals and an assist in a 4-1 blowout of Bolivia. Messi’s first-half brace at Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba came after he dished out a quality pass that set up Alejandro ‘Papu’ Gomez’s early opener. The other player to join in on the scoring fun for Argentina was Lautaro Martinez.
Sergio Aguero also reached a milestone for La Albiceleste by reaching the 100-cap mark with his starting appearance. Conversely, there was not much for La Verde to commemorate aside from a consolation strike from Erwin Saavedra in the second stanza.
Can't give Messi this much space 🔥
He scores his second goal of the first half for Argentina 🇦🇷
(sponsored by @BMWUSA) pic.twitter.com/vB2jL6wWJW
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 29, 2021
Paraguay 0, Uruguay 1
(Edinson Cavani (penalty) 21′)
Do not look now, but Uruguay might just be heating up.
An Edison Cavani penalty gave Uruguay its second consecutive shutout win via a 1-0 triumph over Paraguay at Estadio Olimpico Nilton Santos in Rio de Janeiro. Cavani struck in the 21st minute of the match after Angel Romero was called for a foul in the 18-yard box, and Paraguay never found an equalizer after producing zero shots on goal.
Making matters worse for La Albirroja is that dynamic attacker Miguel Almiron was forced out of the game in the 33rd minute with an injury. The team also dropped from second place to third because of the defeat, with La Celeste claiming the runner-up position following the narrow victory.
¡Gooooooooooooool de Uruguay! 💥👏🏻
Edinson Cavani cobró perfecto el penal para abrir el marcador ☝🏻🇺🇾 1-0 🇵🇾#CopaAméricaEnTUDN I #VeranoDeCampeones I #VibraElContinente
🔴 ¡En vivo!
📺 @Galavision
👉 https://t.co/Y7G5eMX5js pic.twitter.com/kKg1hBKuaO— TUDN USA (@TUDNUSA) June 29, 2021
GROUP A STANDINGS
1. Argentina……………10 pts……….+5 GD (Advanced)
2. Uruguay…………….…7 pts……….+2 GD (Advanced)
3. Paraguay………..……6 pts……….+2 GD (Advanced)
4. Chile……………………5 pts……….-1 GD (Advanced)
5. Bolivia…………………..0 pts……….-8 GD (Eliminated)
QUARTERFINALS
(all times Eastern)
Friday- Peru vs. Paraguay (FS1, TUDN), 5 p.m.
Friday- Brazil vs. Chile (FS1, TUDN), 8 p.m.
Saturday- Uruguay vs. Colombia (FS1, TUDN), 6 p.m.
Saturday- Argentina vs. Ecuador (FS1, TUDN), 9 p.m.