Uruguay strkier Diego Forlan came back to his World Cup 2010 form in the Copa America Final against Paraguay as he netted a double brace to make sure his nation won the contest by a margin of 3-0. His compatriot Luis Suarez also scored a goal and bagged the ‘Player of the tournament’ award.
Uruguay are Copa America Champions!
The final witnessed a contest between two altogether different sides, especially because no one expected them to reach so far due to the presence of heavyweights like Brazil and Argentina. Uruguay were eyeing their first Copa America title since 1995 and also a record 15th title to surpass Argentina’s tally of 14 titles. On the other hand, Paraguay reached the final for the first time, and that too, without winning a single game in open play en route to the final.
Uruguay looked the favourites to bag the championship, given their superb form on the international stage since the last World Cup in South Africa. And they did achieve their objective with relative ease as Suarez (12) and Forlan (45, 90) made sure that Paraguay had no chance of bringing out any surprise in the final.
After the victory, Suarez looked very delighted with the way his team played. The Liverpool striker, who was bought in January by the Premier League club, said, “We played as a group. I think when groups are united like this, everyone together and going for the same thing, you can get things done.”
Talking about Uruguay’s good start via his 4th goal of the tournament, he added, “The important thing was getting started well. With two goals in the first half, I think it was very difficult for them to come back.”
Things looked difficult for Paraguay from the start of the game as they had to play without winger Aureliano Torres and striker Roque Santa Cruz, who was injured. What added to their problems was the suspension of head coach Gerardo Martino along with his deputy Jorge Pautasso, which came due to their repetitive arguments with the officials during the match against Venezuela. To be true, Paraguay never showed any sort of threat against the mighty & united Uruguayans.
Uruguay’s triumph in this edition of the Copa America means that they are now the most successful nation in the history of the tournament, as they leapfrogged Argentina’s record of 14 titles.
Tags: Champions, Copa America, Diego Forlan, Football, Paraguay, Uruguay
