Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani were on target as Uruguay on Sunday thumped 10-man Ecuador 4-0 in their opening Group C match at the Copa America.
Nicolas Lodeiro opened the scoring after just six minutes, before Ecuador fullback Jose Quintero was dismissed for a flailing arm.
With a numerical advantage, Uruguay ran riot at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte as Cavani and Suarez netted before halftime.
Photo: Reuters
The rout was completed 12 minutes from time with an Arturo Mina own-goal.
“We had chances in the first half, we managed to take them and that gave us the tranquility to manage the game,” said Cavani, who finally scored his first Copa America goal in his fourth tournament. “It was an important step.”
It was the ideal beginning for Uruguay in a tough Group C alongside champions Chile and guests Japan, who were to meet yesterday in Sao Paulo.
Photo: AFP
“We’re not as bad as that,” Ecuador coach Hernan Dario Gomez said. “It was a match that got away from us, especially in the first half when it got away from us in every aspect.”
“The important thing was that the team won and now we’ll prepare for the next match,” said Suarez, who notched his 57th goal for Uruguay.
In Rio de Janeiro, Boualem Khoukhi scored 13 minutes from time as Asian champions Qatar hit back from 2-0 down to earn a 2-2 draw with Paraguay.
An Oscar Cardozo penalty and a stunning Derlis Gonzalez strike gave the South Americans a 2-0 lead, but goals from Almoez Ali and Boualem Khoukhi in the final quarter snatched a share of the Group B spoils for the tournament debutants.
“It’s a fair result, we deserved the point we gained,” Qatar coach Felix Sanchez said.
He praised his players for “keeping the faith” and “showing the desire to go after the game, that was the most positive thing for us.”
It left the sides two points behind Group B leaders Colombia, who beat Argentina on Saturday.
“We were unable to manage our advantage and we leave with a bitter taste,” Gonzalez said.
“We need to take a look at our midfield play,” Paraguay coach Eduardo Berizzo said. “We were up against very good opponents, we knew what were up against.”
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