The fourth matchday of 2021 Copa America showcased four great matches that had action and goals galore! We’ll take you back through it and look ahead to what the results mean for the upcoming final matchday. We continue recapping Matchday 4 of the 2021 Copa America.
Recapping Matchday 4
Matchday four saw three nations secure their place in the knockout round, and one getting knocked out, and that was just from one of the groups! There was so much action in what has been a very entertaining tournament. Let’s take a look back at how everything has shaken out.
Ecuador and Peru split points
This match was a tale of two halves for both of these nations. Both Ecuador and Peru were in the middle of the pack of Group B. Ecuador looked to come out and move ahead of Peru. In the first half, Ecuador scored two goals. One of them was gifted by Peru as Renato Tapia put the ball in his own net. Right before halftime, Ecuador found their second stoppage time of the first half when Ayrton Preciado netted. The Ecuadorians went into halftime in the driver’s seat. All they had to do was not let up and they’d claim all three points.
Peru came out in the second half and was raring to show that they were no pushover. They got one goal back just four minutes into the second half when Gianluca Lapadula netted. Not five minutes later, Peru found the equalizer through André Carrillo. It was a quick turnaround, and the rest of the match showed both teams had the desire to find the winner, but that none could.
Ecuador and Peru split the points, and have everything to play for in the final matchday. Both sit in a position where they could be knocked out on the final day if things don’t go their way.
Brazil comeback late to beat Colombia
When Brazil and Colombia meet there are usually fireworks. This game was no different! Brazil played their normal dominant style but found themselves behind the eight-ball early on in this match. Colombia found the opening goal in the 10th minute thanks to Luis Díaz. Colombia’s lead helped their style of sitting in against Brazil, and after 45 minutes, they were feeling good about being 1-0 up.
In the second half, Brazil knew they would have chances. The trick was taking the chances when they came. Brazil took 15 shots in the match, only four were on the net, and only two eventually went in. The first was from Roberto Firmino in the 78th minute. The second came late on far after anyone thought there would be a winner. Casemiro netted a ball played to him by Neymar in the 10th minute of added time in the second half. On what was one of the final kicks of the ball Brazil took all three points.
Brazil has been qualified for the knockouts since the third matchday. Colombia is a different story. They sit on four points but have played all four matches. They should be safe from the drop to fifth as two of the teams below them on points have to play each other, but it is an uneasy spot for them for sure.
Bolivia knocked out by Uruguay
Bolivia came into a crucial match against Uruguay struggling mightily. They lost both of their first two matches scoring just one goal and letting in four. Uruguay was also struggling to come off a loss and a draw. Through the opening moments of this match were pretty even. Just before halftime, Uruguay had the opening goal, and it was gifted from Bolivia. Jairo Quinteros put the ball into his own net and Bolivia was down at halftime.
As the match entered the second half, Bolivia was not out of it, and Uruguay didn’t take advantage of being up 1-0. The possession was almost even, and at times swung to Bolivia who pushed for a gaol. Eventually, the quality of Uruguay shined through for a second goal that put the match away. In the 79th minute, Edinson Cavani scored and the match was over for Bolivia. In the final 11 minutes it was clear Bolivia knew their fate and it ended 2-0 for Uruguay.
Uruguay’s victory meant they clinced a spot in the knockout round for themselves, Paraguay and Chile; while, Boliva were knocked out. Group A was decided in the second to last matchday. Heading onto the final matchday the qualified teams will still hav eto play for the best finishing place, which determines where they’ll fall in the knockout breacket.
Chile shocked by Paraguay
Chile had a great start to its 2021 Copa America. They took five points from their three matches and came up against Paraguay looking for the possibility to top the group after matchday four. Paraguay had won one and lost one in the two they played so far. This match was a tale of two teams with different styles. Chile loves to dominate possession and Paraguay loves to press and counter. In the first half, this showed itself, and after 30 minutes it was clear that Paraguay played their game just a bit better than Chile played theirs.
Paraguay found the opening goal in the last fifteen minutes of the first half as Braian Samudio scored. They took the lead into halftime. In the second half, it was clear that Paraguay was still playing their game better than Chile. A second goal came from the penalty spot as Miguel Almirón fired home an effort. Chile just could not get going through Paraguay’s press and ended their group stage with a loss.
Both of these nations are off to the knockouts and Chile is done playing matches. Chile is done on five points, while Paraguay has the chance to win the group with a win and an Argentina loss!
The final Matchday begins tomorrow!
There are four more games to be played in the group stage of the 2021 Copa America! There is still some drama to be had. Nations can move up and down the standings, as the top four in each group make it to the quarterfinals. Here’s a look at the final matches.
- Brazil vs Ecuador | Sunday, June 27 @ 5:00 pm ET
- Venezuela vs Peru | Sunday, June 27 @ 8:00 pm ET
- Bolivia vs Argentina | Monday, June 28 @ 5:00 pm ET
- Uruguay vs Paraguay | Monday, June 28 @ 8:00 pm ET
The four teams moving on to the knockouts from Group A has been decided. Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay are through, while Bolivia has crashed out. Group B is much more muddled. Only Brazil are through to the knockouts. This means that Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela could all miss out depending on results on the final matchday!
Don’t miss that action on the Fox family of networks. We will have you covered with analysis on Philly Sports Network after the action of the group stage and into the quarterfinals.
Be sure to come back to Philly Sports Network for more Philadelphia Union and other soccer content!
Follow our Union team on Twitter:
Tim Lovenguth | Justin Friedberg | El Parcero Philly
Zach LoBasso | Jeff Green | Liam Jenkins
Doop on Union fans!
Mandatory Credit: Copa Amrica via Twitter
