Uruguay have nailed the third place in this year s edition of the Copa America, beating Canada on penalties after a lively affair in the consolation prize showdown.
Uruguay were ahead less than eight minutes in through Rodrigo Bentacur. Ismael Kone equalized in the 22nd and Jonathan David turned the game around with around 10 minutes left to go, but a late goal from Luis Suarez took the match into a penalty shootout, where misses from Canada s Kone and Alphonso Davies helped Marcelo Bielsa s team land the bronze.
The teams
Unlike in the semifinal loss to Argentina, Canada manager Jesse Marsch went with a 4-2-3-1 setup for this historic clash. With Dayne St. Clair in goal, the back-four line comprised of Alistair Johnson, Luc de Fougerolles, Moise Bombito and Richie Laryea. Ismael Kone and Mathieu Choiniere paired up in the middle of the park, while the trio of Ali Ahmed, Jonathan Osorio and Jacob Shaffelburg supported Tani Oluwaseyi in attack.
One couldn t help notice that Bayern Munich s Alphonso Davies and Lille s Jonathan David, two surely most eye-catching Canadian players in Europe, were both left on the bench, though they did get their chance in the final third of the match and made an impact.
Meanwhile, Bielsa in the Uruguay dugout went with 4-3-3. Sergio Rochet was in goal. Sebastian Caceres and Jose Maria Gimenez formed the heart of defence, with Matias Vina and Nahitan Nandez on the defensive flanks. Manuel Ugarte anchored the midfield, playing slightly behind Federico Valverde and Rodrigo Bentacur. Despite some concerns over a potential ban before the match, Darwin Nunez started up front, with Maximiliano Araujo and Facundo Pellistri attacking from wide positions.
The game
With both teams clearly determined to put the sorrow of the semifinals behind them, they put on a good show for the crowd at the Bank America Stadium in Charlotte. There were plenty of chances at both ends and all four goals were scored with plenty of skill and composure.
Uruguay took the lead from the first really promising chance when Caceres brought down a well-taken corner for Bentacur, and the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder showed extreme finishing quality as he turned on the spot and fired under the crossbar from close range.
Ten minutes later, Araujo could ve doubled his team s advantage as he rushed down the left flank, but nicely set up by Nunez, he failed to beat St. Clair in the Canada goal.
Canada slowly built up their game from that point on, and their equalizer happened in a similar way to Bentacur s opener. It was Bombito who won the aerial challenge, and the ball went awkwardly for Rochet who initially wanted to come for it, but he was left watching as Kone got there first and produced a cheeky, well-controlled bicycle-kick to lob the Uruguay keeper.
Just one minute later, Uruguay briefly believed they had retaken the lead when Pellistri finished off a fine attacking move by putting the ball in the net, but the goal was rightly ruled out for offside in the buildup.
Before halftime, Nunez missed the target from a 20-yard free-kick, but arguably the worst miss of the whole game came from Oluwaseyi. The Canada striker was left unmarked as an accurate cross found him at six yards, and he really should ve scored, but he failed to control his header and it went shockingly wide of the target. His team came very close again through Osorio, but as Rochet saved his initial shot, his subsequent header was cleared off the line by Nandez.
Nonetheless, Canada were playing better by the minute, and they created another great chance in the 60th minute, but Rochet proved his quality again with a top-class save to deny Oluwaseyi.
On the other hand, Suarez, who had replaced Nunez at halftime for Uruguay, got into several dangerous positions and was denied for the time being by alert Canada defending. Substitutes for both sides were making waves at that point, with Brian Rodriguez and Alphonso Davies threatening at either end. And eventually, as Kone blasted one from range, forcing Rochet to parry the shot, David was the quickest to react and finished nicely to put Canada ahead.
But however late in the game it was, it was impossible to write Uruguay off just yet, and having created and wasted a great chance at the start of the stoppage time, Suarez finally got his goal to level the score just one minute later. For once, the Canada defence fell asleep as Gimenez rushed down the right flank and put a low cross into the box, and the 37-year-old wasn t going to miss unmarked from around 10 yards.
The shootout
The opening two rounds of the penalty shootout went smoothly for both teams, with David and Bombito scoring for Canada, the same as Valverde and Bentacur for Uruguay. However, the first twist of the plot followed shortly as Kone, the scorer of Canada s brilliant first-half equalizer, turned from hero to villain and saw his effort saved by Rochet. Giorgian de Arrascaeta, who had replaced Ugarte at halftime for Uruguay, took advantage to put his team ahead. Choiniere offered Canada some hope of a miracle, but Suarez was unmistakable again.
Canada now needed Davies to score to stay in the game. The Bayern man stepped up and went for a Panenka, and though he did fool Rochet, the ball bounced back off the bar and the Uruguay celebrations started.
Fine tournament for both teams
Both Uruguay and Canada will be happy with what they achieved at the 2024 Copa America. Especially Canada, for whom finishing fourth, ahead of a number of countries with vastly richer football heritage, certainly represents success beyond their wildest dreams. And they fully deserved it, obviously unlucky to miss the bronze medal in this manner.
On the other hand, Uruguay were among the best teams in the tournament and the phrase consolation prize is arguably the right one for what they ve earned. Their semifinal loss to Colombia, which ended in complete chaos, will be haunting them for a long time, but they will surely realize quickly that the way they performed warrants nothing but pride, for both Bielsa and his players.
Both countries will now turn their attention to the qualifications for the 2026 World Cup, which Canada co-host with the USA and Mexico.
