Copa America Centenario is now done with the group stage and the quarterfinals have already begun. But before the knockout stage, there were a few teams that needed the three points or at least one to advance. Other teams played with different lineups after advancing in week 2 and there were a few surprises. Here are the results for the third game of each group and the quarterfinals, which recently began and will continue tonight.
The first game of the week was between USA and Paraguay. In the opening match, USA lost to Colombia and they needed the three points here. Paraguay had a few chances to score but USA took the 1-0 victory and advanced for the quarterfinals.
A few minutes later, Colombia and Costa Rica played. Colombia had already advanced and played with a different lineup. Costa Rica had been eliminated by the result of the USA – Paraguay match but they wanted to leave the tournament with a win. Colombia needed at least a draw to finish first in the group but Costa Rica took a 3-1 lead. Colombia made substitutions and brought in part of its starting lineup, scoring one more goal to make it 3-2. But Costa Rica defended and left with the three points. This result gave USA first place of the group.
Group B
The following match was between Ecuador and Haiti. The two teams had a different start, Haiti lost its first two games while Ecuador had draws against Brazil and Peru. The match was not close as Ecuador won 4-0 and advanced for the quarterfinals.
Brazil and Peru played a few minutes later and the only goal of the match was not only controversial, but enough to advance one of the teams. Brazil and Peru had chances of scoring throughout the game but the goal happened late in the match. From the replays, it looked like the goal was scored with the hand. Brazilian players quickly said it was scored with the hand and talked to the referees. A few seconds later, it looked like the goal would not be counted but the decision was changed again. Brazil didn’t score and Peru advanced for the quarterfinals.
Group Stage Complete
The tournament continued with a match between Mexico and Venezuela, two teams that advanced after their second game. Venezuela took the early lead with a nice goal but Mexico needed at least a draw to take first place in the group. In the second half, Mexico had more chances of scoring and they got the goal with just a few minutes left in the match. The two teams finished the group stage with seven points but Mexico had a better goal difference.
Uruguay and Jamaica, two teams that were eliminated in week 2, played in the following match. The result was 3-0 for Uruguay, which didn’t change anything in the group but did give them a nice victory to get ready for the World Cup qualifiers.
Chile and Panama played for a chance to be in the second round of the tournament. The 2015 Copa America champions won 4-2 and will play Mexico tonight. The winner of that match will advance to the semi-final.
Argentina and Bolivia played in the last match of the Copa America Centenario group stage. The two time World Cup champions won the three points and were the only team with nine points in the group stage.
Quarter-Final
The quarter-finals began on Thursday, with a match between USA and Ecuador. The match was close but the host of the tournament won 2-1, advancing to the semi-final. They will play the winner of the Venezuela – Argentina match.
On Friday, Peru and Colombia did not score for 90 minutes. The match went to penalty kicks, where Colombia won 4-2. They are now waiting for the winner of the match between Mexico and Chile.
Argentina and Venezuela are currently playing in the third match of the quarter-finals. La Albiceleste is winning 4-1 but there is still time left in the second half.
Mexico and Chile will play after the Argentina and Venezuela game. The semi-finals will be on June 21 and June 22.
Who do you think is going to win Copa America Centenario? Let us know in the comments.
