Uruguay 4-0 Ecuador
For anyone who may have underestimated Uruguay’s status as one of the top contenders at this year’s Copa America, it may be time to reconsider. La Celeste kicked off their tournament with a convincing 4-0 win over an Ecuador side which played with 10 men for most of the match.
Nicolas Lodeiro got the Uruguayans off to a great start with a brilliant early goal, while the star strike partnership of Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez effectively sealed the win before half-time.
In terms of sheer scoreline, it’s the biggest win to date at the Copa, just edging out Brazil’s 3-0 win over Bolivia.
There will be tougher tests on the horizon for Uruguay in Group C and beyond. But this result certainly sends a message that while their current great generation is ageing out, they can still be a force to be reckoned with in Brazil.
Highlights of the game
The Copa America 2019 betting odds had Uruguay installed as significant favourites over Ecuador, and it took them just six minutes to display their superior quality over their opponents.
Luis Suarez, who is available to play at the Copa after undergoing knee surgery last month, was prominently involved in their opening goal.
Suarez drifted out wide and sent a cross into Nicolas Lodeiro, who took two deft touches to keep the ball away from a couple of Ecuadorian defenders before coolly slotting past the goalkeeper.
Lodeiro likely won’t have too many Copa America 2019 highlights moving forward, but that one he does have has a chance to go down as one of the best of the tournament.
Uruguay again put the ball in the goal just four minutes later. Edinson Cavani got behind the Ecuador defence and passed to Lodeiro, who delivered a beautiful pinpoint cross which Nahitan Nandez headed home. However, the goal did not count as Cavani was clearly offside to begin the move.
Things would go from bad to worse for Ecuador as starting right-back Jose Quintero was sent off for catching Lodeiro in the head with an elbow. He was initially handed only a yellow, but the referee reversed his decision after consulting with VAR.
With Uruguay up a man, it seemed like a matter of time before they got another goal. Cavani came close with a powerful strike from the penalty spot, but Ecuador’s Alexander Dominguez was able to parry it away for a corner. And on the ensuing corner, Lodeiro sent his effort just above the bar.
Cavani had another great opportunity as he deftly redirected the ball to goal with a backheel. But Dominguez produced another brilliant save as he was somehow able to push the ball onto the post.
Cavani wouldn’t be denied, though, and he finally got his well-deserved goal on 33 minutes. The ball dropped to Cavani at the edge of the six-yard box following a Uruguay corner, and the Paris Saint-Germain striker unleashed an acrobatic scissor-kick finish which gave Dominguez no chance.
Uruguay then secured victory just before half-time through Suarez. The ball was flicked onto Suarez’s path after another corner, and the Barcelona man made no mistake as he poked the ball home.
After yet another well-worked corner, Cavani put the ball in the net with a backheel just three minutes into the second half. But it didn’t count as Cavani was clearly coming from an offside position.
Uruguay put the finishing touches on their impressive win on 78 minutes with the help of an Ecuador defender. Arturo Mina put the ball into his own net after he tried (and failed) to clear a Gaston Pereiro header, which was quite a fitting end to Ecuador’s unfortunate match.
Key statistics
It was utter domination from Uruguay, and the stats bore that out. They controlled 61 per cent of possession and outshot Ecuador, 16-2.
With the win, Uruguay got their first win over Ecuador since 2009. They had suffered back-to-back losses with a draw in their previous three meetings.
What’s next?
Next up for Uruguay in Group C is a matchup against one of the two guest teams in this year’s tournament, Japan.
With the Japanese fielding a youthful team in preparation for next year’s Tokyo Olympics, SBOBET odds will likely have Uruguay as massive favourites once again to win that match and move on to the knockout stage.
Meanwhile, Ecuador take on Group C’s other top side, the two-time defending Copa champions Chile. They’ll need to shuffle their defence for that game as Quintero will be suspended following his straight red card.
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