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Sixty-one years to the day after stunning Brazil to win the 1950 FIFA World Cup Brazil, a remarkable 2-1 victory that is known in football history as the Maracanazo, Uruguay showed they have lost none of their ability to spoil a party. Their victims on this occasion were neighbours Argentina, whose hopes of winning the 2011 Copa America on home soil vanished when they lost out in a penalty shootout after 120 minutes of football had failed to separate the teams.
The Uruguayans ousted Argentina the last time they staged the competition, in the semi-finals in 1987, and now go forward to meet Peru, who surprisingly edged out Colombia in another game that ended all-square after 90 minutes.
Results
Quarter-finals
Colombia 0-2 Peru (aet)
Argentina 1-1 Uruguay (aet), Uruguay won 5-4 on penalties
Memorable moments
High excitement
The long-running rivalry between Argentina and Uruguay reached new levels of intrigue yesterday evening, with the two sides contesting a Copa America quarter-final tie in front of a packed house in Santa Fe. The River Plate adversaries lived up to the history of the fixture, serving up another gripping encounter that went all the way to penalties.
Uruguay the dogged
Reduced to ten men late on in the first half, the Uruguayans had no option but to summon up their fabled fighting spirit once more, redoubling their efforts in defence to negate a talented Argentina side. Wearied by their efforts, Alvaro Pereira and Arevalo Rios were both substituted with ten minutes of extra-time remaining, while Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez chased and harried up front, exerting what pressure they could on the hosts’ back-line. Their efforts paid off, as Los Charrúas continued the remarkable renaissance they began in South Africa last year.
Rodriguez has the last laugh
Colombian dangermen Radamel Falcao Garcia and Fredy Guarin have given Peru central defender Alberto Rodriguez plenty of problems in recent times. Rodriguez has been playing his club football for Braga in Portugal, where the Porto duo reigned supreme last season, but it was a different story in Cordoba last night. Things might have turned out differently had Falcao converted a second-half penalty conceded by Rodriguez for a foul on Dayro Moreno. The Porto striker fired wide of the target, however, allowing Peru and Rodriguez, who has now moved to Sporting Lisbon, to march on to the semis.
Lobaton ruins Martinez’s record
Colombia had gone through the group phase without conceding a goal, a feat they extended in normal time of their tie with Peru. Carlos Lobaton put paid to that record 12 minutes into extra-time, however, thrashing the ball home after the previously unbeaten Luis Martinez dropped a high ball in the box.
The player
Fernando Muslera (Uruguay)
Uruguay’s defenders put in such a heroic shift in Santa Fe that it is hard to single anyone of them out for special praise. It was goalkeeper Muslera who tipped the balance in La Celeste’s favour, however, denying Carlos Tevez in the shootout after keeping out virtually everything that came his way in normal time. His most miraculous intervention came in the final minute of normal time, when he stuck out a providential left boot after team-mate Alvaro Pereira had deflected Tevez’s fizzing long-range free-kick, before leaping off the ground to block Gonzalo Higuain’s follow-up with his chest.
Goal of the day
Colombia-Peru, Juan Vargas 111
Colombia goalkeeper Luis Martinez hit a long pass to Camilo Zuniga only to see it intercepted by Jose Guerrero, who surged into the box and cut the ball back to the waiting Juan Vargas. Taking a touch, the Peru skipper then fired the ball into the roof of the net from 15 yards out, sealing his side’s place in the last four.
The stat
22 - The record number of Copa America matches the tireless Javier Zanetti has now played, one more than Oscar Ruggeri and Jose Salomon. The left-back has yet to win a major title with La Albiceleste despite having collected 144 caps, a national record. Zanetti clocked up 1,000 career appearances in May in a Coppa Italia game for Inter Milan, where a steady stream of winners’ medals have come his way.
What they said
“I thought things would turn out the other way because we were down to ten men. In the end we fought more than we played. Both teams came here with the aim of being champions, but people shouldn’t see this game as a final. It was a quarter-final and we still want to be the champions,” Uruguay captain Diego Lugano.
Hosts eliminated after Muslera heroics
Uruguay shocked hosts Argentina 5-4 on penalties to win their Copa America quarter-final after they were locked at 1-1 after extra time.
Carlos Tevez, on as a late substitute, missed the crucial spot-kick at the Santa Fe Stadium, as the hosts crashed out to extend a trophy drought going back to 1993.
Diego Perez had given Uruguay a fifth-minute lead but Gonzalo Higuain levelled 12 minutes later. Both sides ended the 90 minutes with ten men. Perez was sent off on 38 minutes for a second yellow card and then Argentina lost captain Javier Mascherano in the 86th minute for a bad tackle from behind on Luis Suarez.
The extra half-hour failed to end the stalemate and Martin Caceres drove home the winning penalty as Uruguay moved into a semi-final against Peru, 2-0 conquerors of Colombia.
"This was like a final. We played an Argentine side with a fantastic attack and had to scrap - but we have put out our biggest rivals," said Uruguay defender Diego Lugano.
Uruguay, who have won a joint-record 14 Copa titles along with their hosts from across the River Plate, wasted no time in breaking the deadlock just seven minutes into the contest.
Perez puts Uruguay ahead, receives red
Perez slid the ball home from close range, following up after home shot-stopper Sergio Romero could only palm away a header from Caceres, who had nodded down a Diego Forlan cross.
But Argentina hit back and Lionel Messi inspired the equaliser, conjuring an exquisite cross from the right which hung in the air the fraction of a second required for Higuain to leap and meet the ball full on, dispatching it past Fernando Muslera in the 17th minute.
Messi punched the air as he yet again provided the creative spark which had been in such short supply in drawn group games with Bolivia then Colombia.
On the half-hour, the recipe was centimetres away from working again - Higuain heading in a Messi free-kick only to be judged fractionally offside. Caceres then drove home for the Uruguayans but also saw his effort ruled out for offside.
This was like a final. We played an Argentine side with a fantastic attack and had to scrap - but we have put out our biggest rivals.Diego Lugano, Uruguay defender
That was bad enough for Uruguay, but then seven minutes before the interval they were reduced to ten men after Perez barged into Messi and was dismissed by Paraguayan referee Carlos Amarilla - whose name ironically means yellow. As well as brandishing the pair of reds, Amarilla also booked nine players - six for fired-up Argentina.
Messi, desperate to end an 18-year trophy drought for the Argentinians and prove he can be a world-beater at international as well as club level, then fired a low left-foot shot that Muslera gathered easily in the Uruguayan goal.
The Barcelona man tried again, feeding Angel Di Maria down the inside left channel, but he could only shoot into Muslera's midriff. Messi then found Higuain, but his shot on the turn drew a smart stop from Muslera.
Mascherano given marching orders
With four minutes to go to the end of normal time, Argentina had skipper Mascherano sent off for a clumsy rather than crude challenge from behind on Liverpool man Suarez. Having to find fresh impetus, Argentina coach Sergio Batista threw on Tevez for the final half-hour's denouement
Tevez promptly drove over, before Javier Pastore did likewise, his shot clearing the bar by just centimetres. At the other end, Forlan, still without a goal for the Celeste since last summer's exploits in helping his countrymen to the FIFA World Cup semi-finals, floated a left-footer off target as penalties loomed.
Desperate to avoid that lottery, Messi escaped a clutch of defenders but Muslera covered his low shot. Tevez then combined with Messi - the pairing's compatability, or lack of it, being one of the tournament's most discussed topics - but the Barcelona man was crowded out and the shootout became unavoidable.
Peru shocked favoured Colombia to reach the semi-finals of the Copa America with a 2-0 win in extra time.
Colombia had won their group at the expense of hosts Argentina and, with highly-rated striker Radamel Falcao in their ranks, were expected to reach the semis against a side which just sneaked into the second phase as a third-placed pool finisher.
But Falcao was left kicking himself after the FC Porto forward missed a penalty in normal time for the 2001 champions.
They showed great tactical discipline, were committed and made a great effort. Peru coach Sergio Markarian praises his side
Peru have not won the event since 1975, while they last appeared in the semis in 1997, but they battled hard to take the game into the extra half-hour.
Carlos Lobaton smashed home the opener 11 minutes into extra time and, six minutes into the second extra period, Juan Vargas drove in a left-foot shot to clinch a famous win.
Peru coach Sergio Markarian gave his players credit for a fine - if somewhat unexpected - victory. "I salute them because they applied themselves really well. They showed great tactical discipline, were committed and made a great effort," said Markarian, who took over a side which came rock bottom of the South American FIFA World Cup qualifying group.
Colombia waste chances
Paolo Guerrero returned in attack for Peru after serving a suspension against Chile, but it was the Colombians who made the brighter start.
They were scratching their heads as to how they did not win over 90 minutes as, quite aside from Falcao's wretched luck with his spot-kick just wide, Dayro Moreno hit the post and Fredy Guarin the bar.
Peru did have their chances in normal time, a Vargas shot repulsed by Colombian goalkeeper Luis Martinez, who then had to be alert after the break to save well with his fingertips from William Chiroque.
Peru edge ahead in extra time
But it was a Martinez error which helped break the deadlock as he fumbled an attempted punched clearance and Lobaton reacted in a flash to blast the ball past him and into the net.
The Peruvians then delivered the finishing blow on the counter attack as Guerrero fed Vargas, who trapped the ball, then drilled another fierce effort home past the despairing Martinez.
