Uruguay survive shoot-out

Uruguay’s reward is a semi-final tie with Colombia or Chile.

Earlier Mexico also won a penalty shoot-out 4-2 after their Copa America quarter-final with Peru finished 3-3, setting up a semi-final date with Brazil or Argentina.

Mexico converted all their spot-kicks while Jose Soto and Juan Reynoso missed for Peru. A brilliant 88th minute equaliser from Mexico’s Gerardo Torrado had forced the game into the first penalty shoot-out of the tournament — there is no provision for extra-time in the quarter-finals. oBut it was Peru who got intotheir stride first. Ramon Ramirez fired over in a first-minute raid for Mexico but then the Central Americans seemed to fall asleep.

In the other game, Paraguay took the game to the visitors at the start and it was striker Benitez who was the first to show. The striker had already gone close once before shooting his side into the lead with a classy piece of finishing after 15 minutes.

Benitez received the ball with his back to goal before turning Uruguay defender Alejandro Lembo and sidefooting the ball past Carini. Much of the pre-match hype had surrounded Benitez’s strike partner Roque Santa Cruz, who became the world’s most expensive teenager in May when he left Olimpia Asuncion to join German champions Bayern Munich.

But the experienced Benitez was looking more dangerous and should have made it 2-0 before the interval when he did well to control Santa Cruz’s flick on but hit his shot past Carini’s post.

Uruguay were pushing for an equaliser but were having little joy against Gamarra and hiscolleagues. And out of the blue, Uruguay squared the match after 65 minutes. Fabian Coelho did all the hard work but Paraguay seemed to have repelled the raid as the ball went loose. Uruguay forward Zalayeta was onto it in a flash sweeping the ball home in one movement from 20 metres. It was the first goal the host nation had conceded in the tournament.

Zalayeta, like Benitez, had recorded his third goal of the tournament and joins Santa Cruz, Mexico’s Luis Hernandez, Brazilians Ronaldo, Amoroso and Argentina’s Martin Palermo as joint Copa top scorer.

Coelho, Zalayeta and Magallanes were prominent in an encouraging passage of play as the home crowd fell silent. With 10 minutes left, Zalayeta burst through the middle and fired a shot straight at Paraguay keeper Ricardo Tavarelli.

That set up the shoot-out and Uruguay did not miss, meaning Benitez’s gaffe would prove crucial.