Uruguay 2-2 Japan
A double strike from Kiyo Miyoshi earned Japan a 2-2 draw in a Copa America thriller in front of 30,000 fans at the Arena do Gremio in Porte Alegre last night.
After being on the end of a 4-0 spanking at the hands of Chile in their opening fixture, the invitees made seven changes and their young team fought like tigers, leading their more illustrious opponents twice. And we had more VAR controversy too, as Uruguay was awarded a hotly disputed penalty which they happily accepted to equalise.
The point was enough to take Uruguay to the top of Group C, the toughest group in the tournament, before Chile’s clash with Ecuador. But for Japan, it looks like being a brave performance that ultimately might not be quite enough. They would have taken a point before the game started, but on the hour they must have hoped for all three.
Highlights of the game
Here at SBOBET, we fancy Uruguay to go deep into the competition with an experienced side blessed with quality in abundance; and the Copa 2019 betting odds give La Celeste a fighting chance of winning the tournament. The 6th best team in the world (according to FIFA rankings) had a jolt in the 25th minute when Miyoshi fired his first to keeper Fernando’s left, giving him no chance.
Uruguay responded well and was level just seven minutes later with more than a helping hand from VAR. As PSG striker Edinson Cavani worked his way into the Japan penalty area, he came under a challenge from Naomichi Ueda who looked to be making a fair attempt to block the ball. But after more VAR tension, the referee eventually pointed to the spot.
Luis Suarez has thankfully recovered, earlier than expected, from his knee operation and he stepped up to fire the ball home and draw the favourites level — to Japan’s clear frustration.
To make matters worse for Japan, when Shoya Nakajima fell under a challenge from Giovanni Gonzalez, the underdogs had a good penalty shout But this time ,the referee was unmoved.
Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu can be extremely proud of his young players though. as they refused to lie down and fought back again. When Uruguay defender Muslera fluffed a clearance, Japan midfielder Miyoshi gleefully converted the rebound to make it 2-1.
La Celeste’s more experienced line-up pressed again for a second equaliser, and when centre back Jose Gimenez rose to meet a corner on 66 minutes it was 2-2.
Uruguay had the chances to win it with Suarez and Cavani coming close, but Japan’s young guns held out for a deserved draw, and La Celeste head coach Oscar Tabarez was philosophical, saying: “I am not worried. Do you know how many times I lived this in those 13 years as Uruguay coach? Japan was aggressive. They had fewer opportunities and scored twice. They played a great match.”
Key statistics
While Japan was surprised to be in the lead against Uruguay, Gimenez’ equaliser was a big moment in Group C as it means Uruguay has four points and a likely route to the quarter finals.
A draw would have left them tied on three points with Japan and probably adrift of Chile. With just one game to play, that would have given Tabarez more to worry about!
Having scored four against Ecuador in its first fixture, La Celeste is now the tournament top scorers with six goals while Japan has the joint leakiest defence, conceding six goals, the same number as Group A whipping boys Bolivia.
What’s next?
The Copa America 2019 updates will keep on coming as we near the Knockout phases of the competition and the group stages are heading for a thrilling climax.
It’s a top of the group clash at the Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro when Uruguay meets Chile on Monday, which will probably be the group winner decider. It’s a huge game between two of the competition favourites and holders Chile will be determined to win the tournament again, having missed out in Russia 2018.
Japan may still be able to qualify if they beat Ecuador on the 24th, and that would be some achievement in this group. Coach Moriyashu was proud of his young team but sensed they may have missed their chance. He said: “We could have won, when the players returned to the dressing room you could see that frustration on their faces. They felt they missed a little to win. We played head to head, respecting all the history Uruguay has.”
Play like that again against Ecuador, and Japan’s competition may not be over just yet.
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