No respite. No rest. The foot, always, presses hard on the accelerator. This is the attitude of Uruguay of Marcelo Bielsa, who reached the quarter-finals of the America Cup with 100% success: three wins in three games.
Celeste bet on its best lineup against the United States in the 1-0 victory at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City (Missouri), in the game that confirmed the team as leader of Group C and eliminated the home team.
Although qualification was practically guaranteed after beating Panama (3-1) and Bolivia (5-0), Bielsa’s coaching staff preferred to field their main players. And they lived up to expectations, reaffirming Uruguay’s favoritism as they seek their 16th continental title.
“We got nine points, we qualified and we are giving hope to the country,” said defender Ronald Araújo. “We are doing a good job.”
👀 𝙋𝙊𝙑: You are Ronald Araujo and you are on the bus after qualifying for the quarterfinals of the @CopaAmerica.#TheTeamThatUnitesUs pic.twitter.com/phpWWC6Orx
— Uruguayan National Team (@Uruguay) July 2, 2024
Araújo was involved in the controversial goal by Mathías Olivera, which gave the ‘Celeste’ victory against the United States, when he headed the ball past goalkeeper Matt Turner after a free kick was lifted into the area by Nicolás De La Cruz. The hosts called for Olivera to be offside, but the move was allowed after a VAR check.
Uruguay opened the scoring despite the difficult moments they experienced throughout the game. “We are prepared to adapt to whatever comes our way,” said midfielder Manuel Ugarte.
Accept risks
“The game was very intense, very physical, but we knew it would have those characteristics,” analyzed assistant coach Pablo Quiroga, who led the team in place of Bielsa, who was suspended after a delay in returning to the dressing room after half-time in the game against Bolivia.
“The plan was to go with the players who had been playing regularly, taking into account that between now and the next game we would have enough days to recover,” said Quiroga about the decision to field the best players he had against the Americans.
A decision that had its risks.
Maximiliano Araújo, for example, suffered a concussion and had to be substituted. His condition will have to be monitored, although Quiroga said the player “is better.”
Uruguay will take to the field for the quarter-finals next Saturday, against Brazil or Colombia, depending on the definition of Group D.
“A lot more”
Federico Valverde considered that the game was “a great test” to measure the potential of the Uruguayan team.
“It’s normal,” said the Real Madrid midfielder when asked about the moments when the United States had more possession. “The opponent needed to win.”
Valverde, however, was self-critical. “I have to participate much more than I do. I have to try to play a little further forward and not so far back, because we have very good players, good passers, and being back could block the path of the ball getting forward a little bit,” he said. “I think I did well, but I have to do a lot more.”
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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