Uruguay shocked hosts Argentina 5-4 on penalties Saturday to win their Copa America quarter-final after they were locked at 1-1 after extra time. Carlos Tevez, on as a late substitute, missed the crucial spotkick at the Santa Fe Stadium, nicknamed the Elephants Graveyard, as the hosts crashed out to extend a trophy drought going back to 1993.
Diego Perez had given Uruguay a fifth-minute lead but Gonzalo Higuain levelled 12 minutes later. Both sides ended the 90 minutes with ten men. Perez was sent off on 38 minutes for a second yellow card and then Argentina lost skipper Javier Mascherano in the 86th minute for a bad tackle from behind on Luis Suarez. The extra half hour failed to end the stalemate and Martin Caceres drove home the winning spotkick as Uruguay moved into a semi-final against Peru, 2-0 conquerors of Colombia. Uruguay, who have won a joint record 14 Copa titles along with their hosts from across the River Plate, wasted no time in breaking the deadlock just seven minutes into the contest. Diego Perez slid the ball home from close range, following up after home shot-stopper Sergio Romero could only palm away a header from Martin Caceres, nodding down a Diego Forlan cross.
But Argentina hit back and Lionel Messi inspired the equaliser, conjuring an exquisite cross from the right which hung in the air the fraction of a second required for Gonzalo Higuain to leap and meet the ball full on, dispatching it past Fernando Muslera in the 17th minute. Messi punched the air as he yet again provided the creative spark which had been in such short supply in drawn group games with Bolivia then Colombia.
On the half hour, the recipe was centimetres away from working again – Higuain heading in a Messi freekick only to be adjudged fractionally offside. Martin Cacares then drove home for the Uruguayans but also saw his effort ruled out for offside. That was bad enough for Uruguay – but then seven minutes before the interval they were reduced to ten men after Perez barged into Messi and was dismissed by Paraguayan referee Carlos Amarilla – whose name ironically means yellow. As well as brandishing the pair of reds Amarilla also booked nine players – six for fired-up Argentina.
