Exploding at the end of the match, Uruguay team easily won Panama, Suarez had to sit on the bench

Considered a strong contender for this year's Copa America title, the Uruguayan team started the match against Panama with great momentum. They took a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute through Maximiliano Araujo and dominated the game.

Darwin Nunez has officially taken over Suarez's role as the team's goalscorer in the Uruguay national team.

However, the match then became a stalemate as Uruguayan stars like Darwin Nunez and Federico Valverde missed numerous opportunities to score and seal the victory early. This allowed Panama to make a spectacular comeback, causing many difficulties for "La Celeste".

In the second half, coach Marcelo Bielsa had to make several changes to the lineup, bringing on Jose Gimenez for Ronald Araujo, Caceres for Mathias Olivera, and Bentancur for Valverde. Meanwhile, Nunez remained in the starting lineup, leaving veteran striker Suarez on the bench for the entire match.

Coach Marcelo Bielsa's sensible adjustments and faith in striker Nunez ultimately paid off. It was Nunez who initiated and finished the opportunity in the 86th minute to score the second goal, ending Panama's hopes of a 2-0 victory.

Then, in the 90+1 minute, defender Matias Vina increased the lead to 3-0, securing the opening match victory for the Uruguayan national team. For Panama, Murillo's consolation goal in the 90+4 minute was a much-needed measure after a spirited performance that put their strong South American opponents through several difficult moments.

The Panama team (left) caused quite a few difficulties for Uruguay.

The victory helped Uruguay temporarily maintain their lead in Group C ahead of the USA, as they both have 3 points from their opening match win, but Uruguay is ranked higher due to goal difference. In their next match, Uruguay will face Bolivia at 8 AM on June 28th. Coach Marcelo Bielsa will likely field striker Suarez from the start after he was rested for one match. Bolivia just lost 0-2 to the USA in their opening match, their 13th consecutive defeat in the Copa America since 2015.

Meanwhile, despite an easy victory against Panama, Uruguay's performance was not entirely convincing. Their attack, in particular, failed to make an impact. Only changes and pressure from coach Marcelo Bielsa helped them explode at the end of the match to make a difference. Therefore, Uruguay's journey to win their first Copa America title since 2011 will be fraught with challenges ahead.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/copa-america-2024-bung-no-cuoi-tran-doi-uruguay-thang-de-panama-suarez-phai-ngoi-du-bi-185240624103457214.htm