The 2015 Copa America quarterfinal round will include both Paraguay and Uruguay as second- (likely) and third-place finishers in Group B, respectively, when it kicks off this Wednesday.
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Thanks to the two sides’ 1-1 draw in their final game of the group stage, Paraguay can finish no lower than second in the group (Argentina face last-place Jamaica later on Saturday and a win would secure top spot in the group), while Uruguay can finish no lower than second among the three third-place finishers during the group stage.
Jose Gimenez put Uruguay into the lead with just under half an hour on the clock, when the 20-year-old Atletico Madrid center back rose above the crowd and headed home Carlos Sanchez’s corner kick in the 29th minute..@AUFseleccion goes up 1-0 with a powerful header by Jose Gimenez. #beINCopaAmerica http://t.co/gyD9ds1v2f
— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) June 20, 2015
Set pieces giveth, and set pieces taketh away — that’s what Uruguay learned less than 15 minutes later, when Lucas Barrios equalized for Paraguay through a powerful header of his own, sending Edgar Benitez’s corner kick into the back of the net.
The @Albirroja equalize thanks to @LucasBarrios_. Again from a corner. 1-1. #beINCopaAmerica http://t.co/9CJioLkxSK
— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) June 20, 2015
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If Paraguay finish second in Group B, a quarterfinal date with the winners of Group C (perhaps Colombia or Brazil?) looms on the horizon, while Uruguay would face Chile if Argentina finish atop Group B, no matter whether they finish first or second among third-place finishers.