Paraguay were glum at the win that got away, while Venezuela were elated at a rise-off-the--canvas draw at the Copa America on Wednesday.
Paraguay were seemingly home and dry and potentially on their way to winning Group B when they led 3-1 after having gone a goal down early on.
However, Venezuela did not give up, snatching a draw in a pulsating finale.
Photo: AFP
They can instead go into the last eight on a high, while the Paraguayans were left to feel glum after a third straight draw.
The three points earn them a passage to the last eight as their goal difference was superior to the third finisher in Group A, Costa Rica.
Yet coach Gerardo Martino felt deflated afterwards — especially as it was almost a case of deja vu, his side having also let slip a lead at the death against Brazil.
“This is a step back for us — but Venezuela showed a lot of character to come back,” Martino said. “Against Brazil we were superior and drew and tonight we weren’t so good and we drew again.”
Venezuelan coach Cesar Farias, who will doubtless be on the receiving end of some congratulatory messages from uber-fan Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, saluted his charges.
“We thought this would be a very difficult group, that maybe we might go through — but in third place. But we came through unbeaten,” Farias said.
Farias offered reporters a 15-minute lecture after the match, upset that his team is often written off as the weakest in Latin America.
Striker Nicolas Fedor, who scored his side’s second goal before Grenddy Perozo’s brave diving header deep into stoppage time, also lauded the Vinotinto, who are through to the quarters for the second time in succession — but the first ever on foreign soil.
“Above all, we showed we are growing mentally, as despite being down, we kept on pushing and trying to save the situation,” said the forward from Spain’s Getafe, brought on as a sub for Yohandry Orozco on 67 minutes. “I don’t know if a draw is a fair outcome but you can say it was a draw we really fought for and when you work hard you get your reward.”
“We can’t explain this,” Paraguay striker Lucas Barrios said of Venezuela’s late comeback. “In five minutes, they scored two goals. We leave with a sour taste in our mouth.’’
Venezuela had opened the scoring at the Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena with striker Jose Salomon Rondon’s right-footer from the top of the area in the fourth minute.
The pressure was already on Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso before their 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League raised further questions about his future. Arsenal remain perfect in this season’s competition and three points clear at the top of the standings after a 3-0 win against Club Brugge, while defending champions Paris Saint-Germain were held 0-0 at Athletic Bilbao. The clash between Madrid and City was the standout game of the round amid reports this week that Alonso had lost control of the locker room. Speculation over his position is likely to intensify after the latest
By the time Cameron Menzies finally left the arena on Monday, the blood gushing from the gash on his right hand had trickled down his wrist, part of his forearm and — somehow — up to his face. Smeared in crimson and regret, and already mouthing sheepish apologies to the crowd, he disappeared down the steps, pursued by a stern-looking Matt Porter, the chief executive of Professional Darts Corp (PDC). The physical scars from Menzies’ encounter with the Alexandra Palace drinks table after his 3-2 defeat against Charlie Manby at the Darts World Championship would be gone within a few weeks.
Manchester United on Monday blew the lead three times to miss out on moving up to fifth in the Premier League as AFC Bournemouth would not be beaten in a thrilling 4-4 draw at Old Trafford. United have lost just once in their past 10 games, but Ruben Amorim would be frustrated as more points at home were frittered away despite arguably the best attacking display of his reign in charge. Amad Diallo and Casemiro gave the hosts a halftime lead either side of Antoine Semenyo’s equalizer. Two Bournemouth goals from Evanilson and Marcus Tavernier in seven minutes at the start of the
Italian Luca de Aliprandini described Saturday’s World Cup giant slalom at Val d’Isere as the hardest race of his life, coming two days after his Swiss partner Michelle Gisin suffered a heavy fall in training which required neck surgery. De Aliprandini finished 26th in the men’s event won by Loic Meillard, but the result paled into insignificance with two-time Olympic ski champion Gisin in hospital with injuries to her wrist, knee and cervical spine (neck). “It was Michelle’s wish that I race here. I couldn’t say no to her, but it was the toughest race of my entire life,” an emotional De
RSS