Two South American superpowers met for the right to play in the Copa America Final on Tuesday night, but only one could move on.

After a game in which Argentina created more chances but simply couldn’t find the net, Brazil won the right to play for the continent’s championship after achieving a 2-0 win over Argentina in Belo Horizonte.

It was yet another disappointment for Argentina and Leo Messi in an international competition, as they have now gone since 1993 without winning a major trophy.

Brazil managed only 4 shots all night, but its hyper-efficient 50% conversion rate was enough to carry them to victory. Their first goal came at the 19th minute to give them an early 1-0 edge when Gabriel Jesus buried a perfect cross from Roberto Firmino.

Argentina had plenty of opportunities to tie up the score after Jesus’s goal. Sergio Agüero looked to have beaten Brazil goalie Alisson Becker shortly after the opener, but his header went off of the crossbar.

Becker then went on to make a stunning save to deny a perfect shot by Leo Messi on a free kick in the 66th minute.

The home side wrapped it up with a goal just five minutes later by Firmino. They didn’t play their best match, but their fortune combined with Argentina’s bad shooting night was enough to get the job done.

Now, they’ll advance to play either Peru or Chile in the competition’s final.

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It was easy work for the Uruguay men’s national soccer team as they took care of Ecuador with a convincing 4-0 win in the first game in Group C action at the 2019 Copa America in Brazil.

Uruguay started early and didn’t let up, scoring in just the 5th minute of the game to take a 1-0 lead with a Nicolás Lodeiro goal.

The two most well-known players on La Celeste‘s roster also got into the action before halftime, with both Edinson Cavani and Luis Suárez scoring goals.

Cavani’s goal was a brilliant bicycle kick that will surely go down as the goal of the tournament. It gave Uruguay a 2-0 lead.

Suárez then got in on the action just before halftime, beating Ecuador goalie Alexander Domínguez to put his country up 3-0.

Ecuador then scored another own goal in the second half to put the game far away at 4-0, the final result which Uruguay took three points with.

This result puts them at the top of Group C with 3 points and was a strong and convincing start for one of the favorites to win this year’s tournament. Uruguay will look to seal its berth in the knockout stage when it faces Japan later this week.

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Copa America’s Group B got off to an unexpected start on Saturday night as Colombia upset Argentina by a final score of 2-0.

Argentina, led by Leo Messi, was disjointed and unable to break through against Colombia’s rock solid defense. It’s yet another disappointment for the Argentinian National Team after a disappointing Round of 16 exit at last summer’s World Cup.

Despite having superstars such as Messi, Sergio Agüero, and Ángel Di Maria on its offense, Argentina couldn’t muster a goal despite 13 shots on the night.

Colombia, on the other hand, played smart team soccer and kept the Albiceleste from finding open space. They were knotted at 0-0 at the break, but were able to push through and find the net twice in the second half.

Colombia’s first goal came in the 71st minute when substitute winger Roger Martínez beat Franco Armani with an unstoppable right-footed strike.

The Cafeteros assured their victory when striker Duván Zapata, who had recently come on to replace star striker Radmael Falcao, buried home a Jefferson Lerma cross to give Colombia a 2-0 lead in the 86th minute, assuring a crucial victory.

Colombia is now in control of Group B and will look to seal up their berth in the knockout stage of the competition when they play Qatar in São Paulo on Wednesday.

For Argentina, they now must regroup and not allow their surprising first defeat prevent them from moving on to the next round.

The post Colombia Upsets Argentina 2-0 in Copa America Opener appeared first on SportzBonanza.

One of the most anticipated events of this summer in the sports world is the Copa América, which kicks off next weekend on June 14.

This competition puts South America’s top national teams against one another in order to crown a champion of the CONMEBOL field of teams. Outside of Europe, South America is undoubtedly the strongest soccer continent on earth.

Many teams will compete to claim the crown as the winners of the Copa America, including Argentina, Brazil, and the reigning champions, Chile. However, if we had to pick a favorite for this year’s competition, we would have to go with Uruguay.

Uruguay is, believe it or not, the national team which has won the most Copa Americas in the competition’s history. The winners of 15 Copa Americas, however, haven’t taken home the trophy since 2011 after Chile’s recent dominance.

This year, we expect the Sky Blues to claim another title. Here’s why.

Uruguay is a veteran team that has tons of experience in competitions such as the World Cup and this tournament. While other countries have stars like Leo Messi (Argentina) and James Rodríguez (Colombia), Uruguay’s team is a solid bunch that has played in tons of important games together.

Veteran defenders such as Diego Godin, Martin Cáceres, and Jose Giménez form a back line that even the most talented teams will have trouble scoring against. The defense is this small South American country’s strength, and they should be able to make it difficult for opponents to put the ball in the net.

While Uruguay’s strength is in its experience, they also have a rising star playing in their midfield. Arsenal’s Lucas Torreira is one of the game’s biggest young talents at only 23 years of age, and I expect him to come out on the international stage in this tournament.

Finally, up front, it would be silly not to mention Uruguay’s experience and goal-scoring ability. Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani might be getting up there in years, but they can score goals like few other duos. Add young stars like Celta Vigo’s Maxi Gomez to the equation, and Uruguay should score enough goals to win.

Other teams might have flashier players or bigger names, but I expect Uruguay’s mix of veteran leadership and youthful talent to propel them to this year’s title.

They won’t have an easy road ahead of them, but La Celeste has more pieces to compete for a title than any other nation competing in Copa America’s 2019 edition.

The post Uruguay is the Favorite to Win This Year’s Copa América. Here’s Why appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Two South American superpowers met for the right to play in the Copa America Final on Tuesday night, but only one could move on.

After a game in which Argentina created more chances but simply couldn’t find the net, Brazil won the right to play for the continent’s championship after achieving a 2-0 win over Argentina in Belo Horizonte.

It was yet another disappointment for Argentina and Leo Messi in an international competition, as they have now gone since 1993 without winning a major trophy.

Brazil managed only 4 shots all night, but its hyper-efficient 50% conversion rate was enough to carry them to victory. Their first goal came at the 19th minute to give them an early 1-0 edge when Gabriel Jesus buried a perfect cross from Roberto Firmino.

Argentina had plenty of opportunities to tie up the score after Jesus’s goal. Sergio Agüero looked to have beaten Brazil goalie Alisson Becker shortly after the opener, but his header went off of the crossbar.

Becker then went on to make a stunning save to deny a perfect shot by Leo Messi on a free kick in the 66th minute.

The home side wrapped it up with a goal just five minutes later by Firmino. They didn’t play their best match, but their fortune combined with Argentina’s bad shooting night was enough to get the job done.

Now, they’ll advance to play either Peru or Chile in the competition’s final.

The post Brazil Defeats Argentina 2-0 in Copa America Clash of Titans appeared first on SportzBonanza.

It was easy work for the Uruguay men’s national soccer team as they took care of Ecuador with a convincing 4-0 win in the first game in Group C action at the 2019 Copa America in Brazil.

Uruguay started early and didn’t let up, scoring in just the 5th minute of the game to take a 1-0 lead with a Nicolás Lodeiro goal.

The two most well-known players on La Celeste‘s roster also got into the action before halftime, with both Edinson Cavani and Luis Suárez scoring goals.

Cavani’s goal was a brilliant bicycle kick that will surely go down as the goal of the tournament. It gave Uruguay a 2-0 lead.

Suárez then got in on the action just before halftime, beating Ecuador goalie Alexander Domínguez to put his country up 3-0.

Ecuador then scored another own goal in the second half to put the game far away at 4-0, the final result which Uruguay took three points with.

This result puts them at the top of Group C with 3 points and was a strong and convincing start for one of the favorites to win this year’s tournament. Uruguay will look to seal its berth in the knockout stage when it faces Japan later this week.

The post Uruguay Rolls Past Ecuador 4-0 in Copa America Group C Opener appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Copa America’s Group B got off to an unexpected start on Saturday night as Colombia upset Argentina by a final score of 2-0.

Argentina, led by Leo Messi, was disjointed and unable to break through against Colombia’s rock solid defense. It’s yet another disappointment for the Argentinian National Team after a disappointing Round of 16 exit at last summer’s World Cup.

Despite having superstars such as Messi, Sergio Agüero, and Ángel Di Maria on its offense, Argentina couldn’t muster a goal despite 13 shots on the night.

Colombia, on the other hand, played smart team soccer and kept the Albiceleste from finding open space. They were knotted at 0-0 at the break, but were able to push through and find the net twice in the second half.

Colombia’s first goal came in the 71st minute when substitute winger Roger Martínez beat Franco Armani with an unstoppable right-footed strike.

The Cafeteros assured their victory when striker Duván Zapata, who had recently come on to replace star striker Radmael Falcao, buried home a Jefferson Lerma cross to give Colombia a 2-0 lead in the 86th minute, assuring a crucial victory.

Colombia is now in control of Group B and will look to seal up their berth in the knockout stage of the competition when they play Qatar in São Paulo on Wednesday.

For Argentina, they now must regroup and not allow their surprising first defeat prevent them from moving on to the next round.

The post Colombia Upsets Argentina 2-0 in Copa America Opener appeared first on SportzBonanza.

One of the most anticipated events of this summer in the sports world is the Copa América, which kicks off next weekend on June 14.

This competition puts South America’s top national teams against one another in order to crown a champion of the CONMEBOL field of teams. Outside of Europe, South America is undoubtedly the strongest soccer continent on earth.

Many teams will compete to claim the crown as the winners of the Copa America, including Argentina, Brazil, and the reigning champions, Chile. However, if we had to pick a favorite for this year’s competition, we would have to go with Uruguay.

Uruguay is, believe it or not, the national team which has won the most Copa Americas in the competition’s history. The winners of 15 Copa Americas, however, haven’t taken home the trophy since 2011 after Chile’s recent dominance.

This year, we expect the Sky Blues to claim another title. Here’s why.

Uruguay is a veteran team that has tons of experience in competitions such as the World Cup and this tournament. While other countries have stars like Leo Messi (Argentina) and James Rodríguez (Colombia), Uruguay’s team is a solid bunch that has played in tons of important games together.

Veteran defenders such as Diego Godin, Martin Cáceres, and Jose Giménez form a back line that even the most talented teams will have trouble scoring against. The defense is this small South American country’s strength, and they should be able to make it difficult for opponents to put the ball in the net.

While Uruguay’s strength is in its experience, they also have a rising star playing in their midfield. Arsenal’s Lucas Torreira is one of the game’s biggest young talents at only 23 years of age, and I expect him to come out on the international stage in this tournament.

Finally, up front, it would be silly not to mention Uruguay’s experience and goal-scoring ability. Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani might be getting up there in years, but they can score goals like few other duos. Add young stars like Celta Vigo’s Maxi Gomez to the equation, and Uruguay should score enough goals to win.

Other teams might have flashier players or bigger names, but I expect Uruguay’s mix of veteran leadership and youthful talent to propel them to this year’s title.

They won’t have an easy road ahead of them, but La Celeste has more pieces to compete for a title than any other nation competing in Copa America’s 2019 edition.

The post Uruguay is the Favorite to Win This Year’s Copa América. Here’s Why appeared first on SportzBonanza.