On the morning of July 1, the final round of Group B ended when Ecuador tied Mexico 0-0, and Venezuela easily beat Jamaica 3-0 in the remaining match. This result determined the two quarter-final matches of Copa America, in which Messi and Argentina will face a very difficult opponent, Ecuador.
In the Copa America quarter-finals , with the top spot in Group A after a perfect record, Messi and Argentina will meet Ecuador (second in Group B) at 8:00 a.m. on July 5. Meanwhile, the remaining match will see Venezuela (first in Group B) meet Canada (second in Group A) at the same time on July 6.
Before that, the final match of Group B was between Ecuador and Mexico (both with 3 points) for the remaining ticket to continue. Meanwhile, Venezuela (6 points) had already secured a ticket to only meet Jamaica, who were eliminated.
The highlight match at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (USA) was packed with spectators between Ecuador and Mexico, taking place with caution from both sides due to the importance of the match.
Mexico needed a win to advance because of their inferior goal difference (0 to +1) to their South American opponents. However, coach Jaime Lozano’s team failed to create any significant situations during the first half. “El Tri” therefore had to step up their attacks in the second half.
However, the Ecuadorian team with top stars playing in the Premier League such as Caicedo, Jeremy Sarmiento, 17-year-old talent Kendry Paez, and the return from suspension of veteran striker Enner Valencia , played very calmly to keep the situation in their favor.
The South American side controlled the game, making Mexico’s efforts to find a goal futile. The CONCACAF team’s attack was also without their number one star Edson Alvarez (West Ham FC) due to injury. As a result, Mexico’s attacks lacked their usual sharpness.
In the 8 minutes of stoppage time, the Mexican team thought they had caused a shock when striker Guillermo Martinez was fouled by Ecuadorian defender Felix Torres in the penalty area. However, the referee, watching VAR, refused to award a penalty when he determined that Torres had not fouled Martinez, as he had hit the ball.
This delicious opportunity failed, forcing the Mexican team to accept a 0-0 draw with Ecuador and painfully being eliminated, with the same 4 points but with an inferior goal difference.
Meanwhile, Venezuela easily beat Jamaica 3-0 with Eduard Bello, Salomon Rondon and Eric Ramirez scoring, to have a perfect record of 3 wins in the group stage and advance to the quarter-finals with impressive form, promising to cause many more big surprises.
