The Cavani-Suarez-Lodeiro connection tossed the national team Ecuador at the start of the Group C action of the Copa América on sunday when the Maracana stadium witnessed Qatar’s surprising debut with a 2–2 against the Paraguay national team, which came up 2-0.
The Albirroja, which did not just take shape with the Argentine Eduardo Berizzo on the bench, was able to equal Colombia at the top of Group B, but by allowing the reaction of the Asian champions had to settle for sharing the middle part of the standings, a step up Argentina, which on Saturday succumbed 0-2 against the coffee growers.
Group C, which will close its first day with the clash between Japan and Chile on Monday, now charted a gulf between Uruguay, with 15 titles the most winners in the history of the Copa America, and the Ecuadorian formation.
La Celeste undressed the Tri with so many Nicolas Lodeiro, Edinson Cavani and Luis Suárez, and reinforced their superiority with an own goal from Ecuador’s defender Arturo Mina.
The consultation to the VAR, which on Friday awarded a penalty to Brazil and on Saturday denied two goals for Peru, today served the Brazilian referee Anderson Daronco to withdraw a yellow card and eject with direct red for assault on side José Quintero after tipping Lodeiro in the face.
The video system returned to assist Daronco to confirm the validity of Mina’s autogol.
Hours earlier, Peruvian collegiate Diego Haro denied a goal to Paraguay when he was already beating Qatar 1-0, again thanks to the technological resource.
Qatar presented his Asian champion credentials on Sunday in a match that he lost by 2-0 but that together left the feeling of being, with the direction of the Spaniard Félix Sánchez, rocky in defense and agile in attack
Goalkeeper Roberto Fernández’s tackles prevented Albirroja from going through further difficulties but did not alleviate Eduardo Berizzo’s concern.
Just as on Saturday the match between Venezuelans and Peruvians exposed the lack of spectators in the stands, today the Maracana of Rio de Janeiro and the Mineirao de Belo Horizonte failed to offer mass shows of audiences.
Paraguayans and Qataris were followed in the Maracaná 19,162 spectators and Uruguayans and Ecuadorians 13,611 in the Mineirao.
The president of Conmebol, the Paraguayan Alejandro Domínguez admitted that he hopes that with the pso of the days the presence of the crowds in the stands of the six stadiums of the tournament increases.
“You want people to come and see the best footballers in the world,” Dominguez said in Rio de Janeiro after opening a small artificial turf on Copacabana beach that will exhibit until the end of the tournament, on July 7, replicas of the Conmebol trophies , including the America’s Cup.
