Uruguay sealed a convincing win of 5-0 over Bolivia in the Group C encounter of the Copa America 2024, held at the MetLife Stadium. La Celeste simply overwhelmed the Bolivians to stamp their authority on the game and see them through into the knockout stages.
Uruguay started the game in attack mode, with an apparent view to get an early lead. The strategy paid immediate dividends as wing-back Facundo Pellistri profited fully from a fairly decent cross in the 8th minute and, with a headed ball to the bottom right, gave Uruguay an early 1-0 advantage in the match. This set the pace for what would ensue thereafter, with Uruguay mounting relentless pressure on their opponents.
Bolivia could not cope with the high press of Uruguay, who accelerated the pace in counterattacks. That pressure grew so much that in the 21st minute, Uruguay doubled their lead. This key run was made by Maximiliano Araújo—a player influential all game down the flank. He crossed a very precise ball to Darwin Nunez, the striker, who finished at the bottom left corner with clinical finishing, doubling Uruguay’s lead, thus handing Bolivia a tough task.
Most of the attacks by Bolivia were futile against the well-organized Uruguayan defense. Thus, La Verde was able to create only a few half-hearted attempts on goal that did not trouble at all Uruguay’s goalkeeper. Such was Uruguay’s dominance that they ended the first half 2-0 in front.
The Uruguayans continued stamping their authority in the second half, not getting complacent. Bielsa’s team kept displaying high octane pressure and tactics that were a little aggressive, running down hapless Bolivian attempts to get a foothold in the game. Such was the relentless pressure exerted by Uruguay that, once again, its reward came in the 77th minute when Araújo, who already had an assist to his name, scored Uruguay’s third goal, virtually closing the result.
It was in the final minutes that Uruguay really opened up the attack. Federico Valverde made a firm, fierce shot from midfield, also attended with an assist by Pellistri, in the 81st minute. With only a few minutes remaining of the match, substitute Rodrigo Bentancur cut through to net the fifth in the 89th minute, wrapping up a jaw-dropping performance by the home side.
Speaking after the game, head coach of Uruguay Marcelo Bielsa heaped praise on his team. “The players executed our game plan to perfection. We wanted to dominate from the word go and they obliged. This win puts us in a strong position going into the knockout stages,” states Bielsa.
Facundo Pellistri, who turned out to be instrumental in the win by scoring a goal and providing an assist, stated he was satisfied with the team’s performance. “It was a great team effort. We knew how important this game could be, and everyone gave their best. We’re looking forward to continuing this,” Pellistri said.
The head coach of Bolivia acknowledged that Uruguay was the better team on the day. “We faced a very strong team today. In every aspect, Uruguay was better, and we have to accept the result and learn from this experience,” he stated.
This win did not only confirm Uruguay’s qualification to the knockout stages, but also put them in strong contention to possibly win Group C. Their next match will be important to confirm just where the Uruguayans end up in their group, but with performances like this, La Celeste definitely made a big statement of intent at Copa America 2024.
