2024-06-28
Despite two resounding victories against Bolivia and Panama, Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa put a damper on the Celeste’s favoritism in the 2024 Copa América, when analyzing the 5-0 thrashing of the Verde this Thursday in East Rutherford (New Jersey).
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“Having won two games without having faced the best teams in the competition does not allow us to think that Uruguay can define itself as one of the important teams in the competition,” Bielsa said at a press conference at MetLife Stadium.
Facundo Pellistri, at minute 8, Darwin Núñez (21), Maximiliano Araújo (77), Federico Valverde (81) and Rodrigo Bentancur (89) scored the Uruguayan goals, which put Uruguay on the perfect path to reach the quarterfinals.
“Today was better than the previous one, but I insist that when one wants to undergo tests, such as facing the most outstanding, the most convenient thing is to show the power in the competition, not anticipate it or spread it when the only thing that allows it to be verified It is the game,” added the experienced Argentine coach.
Bielsa acknowledged that, despite La Celeste’s 100% dominance over Bolivia, “we stopped creating danger in the rival goal for a period of time.”
Today’s matches, June 28th, in the Copa America
“Against Panama we had 15 minutes in the second half of a different performance than we had in the rest of the game and today in the second half there was also a slightly longer period where the production was different,” he evaluated.
Suárez and the goals of his stars
The entry of Luis Suárez in the 82nd minute for Darwin Núñez, when the game was 4-0, coincided with the clamor from the stands, which asked for the entry of the Celeste’s historic scorer, something that for Bielsa “is legitimate.”
“This is an absolutely well-deserved recognition for Luis Suárez’s career. I think it is legitimate that the public wants to see their idols and without a doubt Luis Suárez is one of them,” he noted.
Regarding the goals scored by his key players, Bielsa said that “scoring always increases the self-esteem of the person who scores the goal.”
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“Valverde’s goal was a goal that was very much his style, which represents him. And in some moments of today’s game he resembled the player he looks like in Real Madrid. And that for us and for him is a goal. And as for Bentancur, who is a great player, he does not need added stimuli, but I think it is good for him to find the goal,” he pointed out.
Uruguay is the leader of the group with 6 points and a goal difference of +7. The United States and Panama have 3 but with a better goal difference for the Americans (+1 against -1). Bolivia is at the bottom with no points.
The exciting definition of the zone will be resolved next Monday, simultaneously at 01:00 GMT on Tuesday, with the Uruguay-United States duels in Kansas City and Panama-Bolivia in Orlando.
2024-06-28 12:26:00
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