South American Football

Copa Libertadores final set to be all-Brazil for 3rd year in a row

The Copa Libertadores final is set to be an all-Brazilian affair for the third year in a row after this week's first leg of the semifinals. Flamengo crushed Argentina's Velez Sarsfield away 4-0 on Wednesday. Striker Pedro scored in the 32nd, 61st and 83rd minutes. Everton Ribeiro also netted for the Rio de Janeiro club in the last minute of the first half. Palmeiras lost 1-0 to Athletico Paranaense but the defending champions are still the favorite to advance for a likely rematch of last year's final on Oct. 29 in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Athletico's hard-fought win came thanks to a goal by Alex Santana in the 23rd minute. It was Palmeiras' first defeat in this year's edition of the Copa Libertadores. The second legs will be played next week. Palmeiras beat Flamengo 2-1 in last year's decider. In the previous edition, the Sao Paulo team beat its local rival Santos 1-0 at the Maracana Stadium. Since Argentina's River Plate won the Copa Libertadores in 2018, only Brazilian teams have ..

Stellar Brazil vs Argentina final for emergency Copa America

The most improvised Copa Amrica will have the final most of the fans dreamed of. Brazil and Argentina play for the South American title on Saturday at Rio de Janeiro's historic Maracana Stadium, one of soccer's spiritual homes. It should be a memorable ending to a tournament plagued by setbacks and moved at the last minute to one of the countries hardest-hit by COVID-19. Neymar's Brazil team, the defending champions, and Lionel Messi's challengers have won a combined seven World Cups and 23 continental titles. The Argentine star wants to lift his first major trophy with his country, which hasn't won any since 1993. Messi played and lost the Copa America finals of 2007, 2015 and 2016 and the 2014 World Cup the latter against Germany at the Maracana. What I want the most is to win a title with the national team," captain Messi said after Tuesday's 3-2 penalty shootout victory against Colombia in the semifinal. We aim high, we managed to get the first objective, which was to play th

Lucas Paquet becomes key player for Brazil at Copa America

When Lucas Paquet left the pitch in pain at the end of Brazil's 1-0 win over Peru at a Copa America semifinal, there was concern among teammates whether he would play in Saturday's final. Few at the start of the tournament would have thought that the 23-year-old would become such a key Brazilian player. Midfielder Paquet had a cut on his left leg, but Brazil's medical officials say he will be fit for the decider at the Maracana Stadium, the same arena where he first appeared as a Flamengo winger in 2016. Brazil's opponent in the final will be known on Tuesday when Argentina and Colombia meet. Paquet scored the winners against Chile and Peru in the knockout stage, played in five out of six matches and became a frontrunner to take a position that once belonged to Philippe Coutinho. Still evolving as a passer and a finisher, Paquet also seems to have established a partnership with Neymar on the pitch and in funny dances to celebrate the goals they score for Brazil. "Paquet is a gre

Argentina beats Ecuador at Copa, plays Colombia in semifinal

Lionel Messi scored his 76th international goal and is now only one shy of Pele for the South American record as Argentina beat Ecuador 3-0 to progress to the semifinals of the Copa America

Colombia edges Uruguay on penalties to reach Copa semis

Two penalty shootout saves by goalkeeper David Ospina put Colombia in the semis of Copa America after a 0-0 draw with Uruguay in regular time and kept alive its hopes of a first Copa title since 2001

Veteran Thiago Silva eyes World Cup and Maldini-style career

Ahead of Brazil's Copa America quarterfinal against Chile on Friday, Brazil defender Thiago Silva has one particular player on his mind. Italy great Paolo Maldini. It is a bit distant to project the end of my career. I don't have control over that, but I want to follow what Maldini represented for AC Milan, playing until age 40, 41, Silva said at a news conference on Wednesday. I prepared myself for this. I remain at a high level, which makes me very proud. The 36-year-old Silva is also hoping to play at next year's World Cup. He continues to start matches for the Selecao, and lifted the Champions League title with Chelsea in May. Silva arrived at AC Milan in 2009, the same year Maldini retired at age 41. The Brazilian left the Italian club in 2012 for Paris Saint-Germain. After PSG reached the Champions League final in 2020 and lost to Bayern Munich, Silva signed for Chelsea and once more proved he was still one of the best defenders in the game. From now on I have to live every

Neymar and Sanchez return for Copa America knockout match

Defending champion Brazil and Chile will have their star players back in action when they meet in the Copa America quarterfinals on Friday

Messi breaks Argentina's record for caps at Copa America win

Lionel Messi became Argentina's most capped international player, marking the occasion with two goals as he led his national team to a 4-1 win over Bolivia at the Copa America. The 34-year-old Messi's 148th appearance for Argentina beat the mark previously held by retired defender Javier Mascherano. His two goals and one assist helped Argentina ensure top spot in Group A, setting up a quarterfinal against Ecuador on Saturday. Messi made his Argentina debut in 2005 in a 2-1 win in a friendly against Hungary. He was sent off during that match after hitting a rival with his elbow. The Barcelona striker, who holds the all-time Argentina high of 75 goals, is also seeking to break two South American records: Pele's as the top goal scorer of a national team (77 for Brazil), and Chile's Sergio Livingstone mark of 34 for most Copa America appearances (Messi has 31). Diego Maradona scored 32 goals in 87 matches for Argentina, including the 1986 World Cup triumph. Messi, despite his impressi

Messi dominates Copa America group stage with Argentina

Lionel Messi is used to being No. 1 with Barcelona. Hours before his contract with the club was due to expire, he was getting that kind of feeling while wearing the Argentina shirt at Copa America. The 34-year-old Messi has some of the best statistics so far at the South American championship. He capped the group stage on Monday with two goals and an assist in Argentina's 4-1 win over Bolivia. Messi's contract with Barcelona ends on June 30 after 17 seasons. The Argentine forward won a record six Balon d'Or awards at the Catalan club, where he's the all-time leading scorer with 672 goals in 778 appearances. But he's yet to lift a major title with his national team. Messi leads the Copa America scoring list with three goals in four matches. He gave two assists, as many as Brazil's Neymar. Sports data site SofaScore places him on top in the tournament so far in successful dribbles (21), shots on target (10), total duels won (40) and goals from outside of the box (2). There was some

Copa America bracket favors Brazil; Argentina spots Uruguay

Defending champion Brazil may have the smoothest path to the final of the Copa America tournament it is hosting. The hottest competition could be on the other side of the draw, where arch rivals Argentina and Uruguay have the chance to meet in the semifinals. The knockout stage of the Copa America was finalized Tuesday after the last two matches in Group A. Argentina beat Bolivia 4-1 to ensure it finished atop the group, setting up a game against Ecuador in the quarterfinals. Ecuador is yet to win in the tournament, but held Brazil to a 1-1 draw on Sunday and is in third position in South American World Cup qualifiers. We have the utmost respect for Ecuador, they have proven to be a good, young and dynamic team that will sure give us a war, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. If Lionel Messi's lineup beats Ecuador, coached by Argentine Gustavo Alfaro, its semifinal will be against either Uruguay or Colombia. That head-to-head showdown has produced great encounters recently, incl

Copa America changes Maracana pitch amid criticism

South American soccer body CONMEBOL said it is upgrading the Maracan stadium pitch for the Copa America final amid criticism of other fields of play in the tournament. The decider will be on July 10. Weeks ago, after Brazil became last-minute hosts of Copa America, organizers scheduled seven matches for the Nilton Santos stadium in Rio precisely because the pitch at the Maracana was worn out. But criticism has only grown since the start of the tournament. The Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba, which will hold one more group stage match, has also been targeted for irregular patches and sinking areas on the pitch. Brazil's coach Tite recently joined Neymar, Lionel Messi and others who attacked the organization for the poor pitch of the Nilton Santos, which was used for track and field in the 2016 Olympics and is regularly used by local club Botafogo, currently playing in the country's second division. After Thursday's 2-1 win against Colombia, Tite said the pitch of the arena was ...

Copa America: Uruguay beat Bolivia 2-0, reach quarters

Uruguay picked up a 2-0 win against Bolivia to confirm their progress to the CONMEBOL Copa America 2021 quarterfinal.Edinson Cavani and an own goal from goalkeeper Carlos Lampe helped the Celeste to the win.Bolivia had the first scoring opportunity of the game. With 11 minutes gone, Rodrigo Ramallo broke into the right side of the area and hit a shot that passed just above Fernando Muslera's crossbar. However, despite an encouraging start, Bolivia was pushed back by Uruguay who emerged as protagonists in the first half.The Celeste had two clear chances but Bolivian keeper Lampe made sharp stops to keep them out. The former Boca man first denied Luis Suarez before then denying Nahitan Nandez who followed up on the rebound. Later Cavani also tried his luck but once again Lampe came out on top.After 39 minutes Uruguay was finally able to beat Bolivia's star man. Suarez sent a dangerous cross into the box which Jairo Quinteros slid to intercept but inadvertently sent the ball goalwards. ..

Argentina beats Paraguay, secures Copa America knockout spot

Papu Gmez scored in the 10th minute as Argentina beat Paraguay 1-0 and secured its place in the Copa America knockout stage. The result at the Man Garrincha stadium in Brasilia moved Argentina atop Group A with seven points from three matches. The game also gave Lionel Messi a record 147th cap for the national team, equalling the mark of retired defender Javier Mascherano. Chile, which also advanced to the quarterfinals, is second in the group with five points after the 1-1 draw with Uruguay. Paraguay has three points, followed by Uruguay (1) and Bolivia (0). Captain Messi, seeking his first major title with the national team, had to work with a team impacted by six changes in the starting lineup. Defenders Germn Pezzella and Nicols Tagliafico, midfielders Rodrigo de Paul and Leandro Paredes; and forwards Sergio Aguero and ngel di Maria started. Nicols Otamendi, Marcos Acua, Leandro Paredes, Giovani Lo Celso, Lautaro Martnez and Nico Gonzlez were left out of the starting lineup. T

Luis Suarez goal at Copa America ends Uruguay's scoring drought

Luis Suarez ended a goal scoring drought for Uruguay that threatened to extend to a fifth straight game.

Peru beats Colombia 2-1 to keep hopes alive at Copa America

Peru beat Colombia 2-1 to keep alive its chances of advancing to the knockout stage of Copa America. Sergio Pea opened the scoring for the Peruvians in the 17th minute on Sunday. Miguel Borja equalised from the spot in the 53rd but an own goal 11 minutes later by Colombian defender Yerry Mina decided the match at the Olimpico stadium in Goiania. Peru is in third position in Group B with three points after two matches. Colombia remains with four points in second spot, but with only two games remaining. Leader Brazil has six points. The top four teams will qualify for the quarterfinals. "This gives us a lot of hope in what is to come at this Copa America," Peru defender Renato Tapia said. "We are in a good position, but we have to keep rowing to go farther." Peru lost 4-0 to Brazil in its tournament opener, which raised doubts about coach Ricardo Gareca's team. The 2019 Copa America finalists are also struggling in South American World Cup qualifiers. Only weeks ago it lost 3-0 to .

Argentina counting on Messi - and history - against Paraguay

Argentina is looking to Lionel Messi to help it secure a spot in the Copa America knockout stages with a win against Paraguay on Monday. Argentina tops Group A with Chile and will hope for an inspired Messi at the Man Garrincha stadium in Brasilia as the 33-year-old soccer great seeks his first Copa America trophy with Argentina. Argentina and Chile have four points, one more than third-place Paraguay which has a game in hand. Uruguay and Bolivia have zero points. The top four teams in each group advance to the knockout stages. "We will play match after match, but it is clear we have a great team and where we can go depends only on ourselves," said Argentina defender Cristian Romero. Messi played a key role in Argentina's 1-1 draw with Chile and its 1-0 win against Uruguay. Against Paraguay, Messi will be making his 147th appearance for Argentina, equaling the record of Javier Mascherano. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni might not be able to count on midfielder Giovani Lo Celso and

Uruguay fires Copa America staffer after harassment charge

Uruguay's soccer association fired a member of its Copa America staff after reports of a team security guard being arrested for sexually harassing a woman. The soccer body said in a statement on Monday it made the decision due to the staffer's "reprehensible and unacceptable behavior," without providing details. It added the person, whom it did not identify, would return to Montevideo and be investigated from there. The Uruguay team is in the Brazilian city of Cuiaba, where it was playing Chile late Monday at Arena Pantanal. Chile and Argentina share the lead in Group A with four points after two matches. Uruguay has zero after one match. CONMEBOL said in a separate statement it received information of a sexual harassment accusation against a member of a team at the Copa America. It added it will cooperate with authorities in the investigation. Police from the state of Mato Grosso, which includes Cuiaba, did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

Brazil: Copa America's Covid-19 cases increase 13 to 66

Brazil's health ministry said that 66 people connected with the Copa America soccer tournament had contracted COVID-19, an increase of 13 infections from the previous day

Copa America: Neymar shines as Brazil thrash Peru 4-0 to reach quarters

Neymar and Alex Sandro scored for Brazil as they beat Peru on Thursday night to attain a comfortable 4-0 win in the 2021 Copa America clash here at Nilton Santos Stadium

Argentina and Uruguay riddled with doubts for Copa America clash

Argentina and Uruguay go into Friday's Copa America encounter with neither team having won in three games since November. The two sides seem unsure about which players to select for the Group A game at the Man Garrincha stadium in Brasilia. The winner could ultimately go on to top the group and avoid an early knockout-stage meeting with defending champion Brazil, which is in Group B. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has received criticism since his team's opening 1-1 draw against Chile on Monday, a game that came a few days after a 2-2 draw with Colombia in World Cup qualifying. Scaloni appears unsure whether to use three or four defenders against Uruguay. He could also bring back Cristian Romero in the center of his rearguard in place of Lucas Martnez Quarta. If he opts for a line of three defenders, left-back Nicols Tagliafico may miss out. Scaloni is also undecided who should accompany Lionel Messi up front. Lautaro Martnez has been short of goals for Argentina while new Barcelo