Argentina wins and Costa Rica shocks Brazil in Copa América

We have already covered the first day of the Copa América. One round out of three of the group stage matches has been played and strong performances and big upsets have already lit up the United States.

group A

In Group A, things went pretty much as expected on the first day of the tournament. Argentina and their supporters took control of Atlanta and defeated a courageous Canadian team 2-0. The Canadians kept the world champions at bay for a long time, but two second-half goals sealed a solid victory for the tournament favorites.

Lionel Messi huffed and puffed on a day when he couldn’t convert two big chances on goal. It wouldn’t matter as forwards Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez found the net. Canadian coach Jesse Marsch was not too happy with the winning team that day, however, suggesting in his post-match comments that Argentina should be fined by CONMEBOL for their late arrival on the field in the second period.

In the other Group A clash between Chile and Peru, two teams who have made a habit of scoring very few goals drew 0-0. It’s a frustrating result for both teams who now must try to beat Canada to advance, as three points against Argentina will be very difficult to come by.

Group B

In Group B, two dark horses from South American World Cup qualifying faced off in a fascinating encounter. Underdogs Venezuela emerged victorious, beating Ecuador 2-1. An early red card from Enner Valencia for Ecuador meant the game was on, yet it was the 10-man team who took a goal lead.

But two goals from Venezuela in the second half quickly reversed the trend and the “Vino Tinto” recorded a historic victory. Those three vital points against an obvious rival put the Venezuelans in an excellent position to advance to their third Copa America quarter-final in four tournaments.

Group C

Group favorites Uruguay and hosts USA both won their opening Group C matches, against Panama and Bolivia, respectively. There is a big gap in quality between the winners and losers in this group and it manifested itself in two comfortable victories.

In the next round, the United States will face Panama and Uruguay will face Bolivia. Another win for each team will guarantee their place in the next round and send the minnows packing mercilessly.

Group D

Group D is home to two tournament contenders, Brazil and Colombia, and many have already decided that they will fight to win this group and advance to the top two. Yet Brazil failed to find the net in their first match, drawing 0-0 against Costa Rica. They don’t have to worry about the next round yet; they must beat Paraguay in the next match.

Colombia, however, lived up to its “title challenger” status. They had a late scare against Paraguay, but deserved a 2-1 victory after a strong first half, and they don’t seem to really need to shift into second gear. Brazil’s draw means that a victory for Colombia against Costa Rica in the next match would put them in pole position to win this group.