2024 Copa America Knockouts BreakDown
Written By: Danny Albers
Colombia’s magical run would continue in the knockouts as they destroyed Panama. They were the only team that didn’t need penalties to narrowly survive their first knockout game. Ecuador gave Argentina a scare, Canada rallied to continue their breakout performance in the Copa’s, and Brazil got knocked out. Let’s break down each game.
Argentina VS Ecuador
Result: Argentina wins 1-1 (4-2 in PK)
Argentina got a test that I don’t know if they were expecting. They pretty much ran through the group stage untouched. But Ecuador came to play in the knockouts, and in a lot of cases looked like the better team until we got to the PK shootout. Argentina got on the board in the 35th minute from a goal by Manchester United’s center back Lisandro Martinez. To Ecuador’s credit, although they were playing from behind for most of this game, they never stopped trying to find the back of the net. Argentina protected the 1-0 lead all the way to the final minutes of the game. It wasn’t until 1 minute into stoppage time that Kevin Rodriguez scored for Ecuador to tie the game 1-1. When Lionel Messi missed in PK, it looked like Ecuador might have a chance to steal this game. But Emiliano Martinez stepped up! After becoming a hero in his country after bringing home the World Cup Title in Qatar back in 2022. He repeated those heroics stopping Ecuador’s Alan Minda’s PK in locking up this tight victory.
Venezuela VS Canada
Result: Canada wins 1-1 (4-3 in Penalties)
Canada is on a run of a lifetime in their first ever Copa America Quarter-Final appearance. They played a Venezuelan team who overachieved in group stage, but had a lot of expectations after going 3-0 in the tournament. Canada got right out ahead of Venezuela when Jacob Shaffelburg scored in the 13th minute to give Canada a 1-0 lead. Canada outshot Venezuela with 7 shots on target in this game. They were consistently knocking on the door to extend their lead. In the 64th minute, Salomón Rondón provided some relief for Canada when he scored an electric goal for Venezuela. The game made it all the way to penalties where both sides were inconsistent, missing 2 of their initial 5 PK shots. Canada would eventually outlast their South American opponent to advance to the next round. Canada will get another crack at the World Cup Champions Argentina after losing 2-0 in the first game of the 2024 Copa America.
Uruguay VS Brazil
Result: Uruguay wins 0-0 (4-2 in Penalties)
Offensive was hard to come by in this game. Brazil’s defense shut down Uruguay who only had 1 shot on target through regular and extra time. Brazil wasn’t much better, only producing 3 real threats. Defense dictated the pace of this game.The game went to penalties, and things fell apart for Brazil. Brazil missed half their shots in the PK shootout. Uruguay’s Nahitan Nández earned a red card in the 74th minute. Brazil's offensive struggles have plagued them all tournament long, and it reared its ugly head in this game.
Colombia VS Panama
Result: Colombia wins 5-0
The only game that didn’t go to penalties from the knockouts, Colombia came out and jumped all over Panama. Colombia’s Jhon Córdoba scored in the 5th minute to get Colombia off to a fast start. Just 7 minutes later, James Rodriguez was fouled in Panama’s box, setting up a penalty. Rodriguez would convert on this opportunity and would give Colombia a 2-0 lead. Panama went into desperation mode and had a couple near breakthroughs. But Colombia’s Luis Diaz would dispel all that when he scored in the 41st minute. Colombia went up 3-0 and never looked back. They’d added 2 more goals in the second half to finish off a 5-0 lead. It’s going to take an incredible effort to beat Colombia as they’ve looked unstoppable all tournament.
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