by Rodrigo Beilfuss
And that’s a wrap! For the group stage of the 2011 Copa America, at least.
A total of eight teams, out of the twelve that started the competition, will be given the opportunity to move ahead into the knockout round of the tournament.
Eighteen games and four eliminated squads later, here we are, about to enter the truly scintillating phase of the Copa, starting with all four quarter-final matches this coming weekend.
And how do we feel about the first phase of the tournament?
Well, not so good – at first. Until, of course, Lionel Messi and Neymar decided to show their true colours in their team’s last matches of the stage.
Argentina and Brazil have caught fire and the tournament has finally hit full stride.
But before those two cheeky geniuses woke up, this Copa went through a terribly slow start, producing nothing less than seven draws in the first eleven games; three of them goalless.
Indeed, most of the strikers seemed to have forgotten how to execute their duties. World-class names such as Pato, Forlan and Higuain looked more like accidental tourists, and less like the true goalscorers they usually are.
Perhaps that’s a tad harsh. After all, Forlan did put on an amazing performance versus Mexico, albeit his aim was a bit off. And the same could be said about Argentina’s Higuain, who frustrated fans by missing several goal opportunities in the match against Costa Rica – opportunities created by the great Messi, by the way.
However, hope prevailed, and the typical South American attacking style did burst forth. The seven matches that followed Brazil’s desperate draw versus Paraguay generated nothing less than 20 goals – and some memorable moments.
Group A: Dark Horses & Hosts
Messi’s superhuman talents finally warmed up the harsh Argentine winter in the Albiceleste’s last group match versus Costa Rica.
The world’s greatest footballer showed us what he’s made of by providing vital assists in their 3 x 0 victory, and doing so with ease and style. We were even treated to some of those classic through-balls he delivers at Barcelona on a weekly basis, and quite possibly the sweetest moment of the competition so far: Messi sprints down the center and is brought to the ground, and as he slides on his bottom, he manages to provide a superbly slick pass to Aguero to his left, just as easily as if he were standing like a mere mortal. Majestic Messi!
Doubtlessly, the hosts can finally breathe after their shaky start, when they drew with both Bolivia and Colombia. Nevertheless, there’s much work to be done ahead of their quarter-final clash with bitter rivals Uruguay. Manager Sergio Batista hasn’t decided on a set starting-eleven yet, as he continues to experiment with his talented squad. However, it seems that the sensational Kun Aguero – having already netted 3 goals – will be a guaranteed presence.
Alongside Argentina in Group A, Colombia have been a much more cohesive force. The team topped the table with 7 points and have yet to concede a goal, having won two matches and tied another.
A lot of their success is due to the imposing figure of Porto’s striker Falcao. Fresh from his 17 goals in a single UEFA Europa League competition, the Colombian scored both goals in their victory against Bolivia, leading his country into a quarter-final berth – where they’ll face Peru.
Indeed, these are salad days for folks in Colombia.
Not as optimistic are the futures of the other two contestants in the group: Costa Rica and Bolivia have both been eliminated mercilessly. The Central Americans lacked experience, and the Bolivianos lacked some Andean heights…
Group B: Sleepy Champions & a Surprise
Brazil, the defending champions, had their worst start to a Copa campaign since 1993. Mano Menezes and his samba boys were under a lot of pressure to not only perform, but to perform beautifully, after two consecutive draws against Venezuela and Paraguay had everybody pouting. The team defended poorly and their forwards left even more to be desired.
However, when the thread was about to snap, the mighty Selecao destroyed Ecuador 4 x 2 in absolute groovy style (in reality, it was 5 x 2, if it weren’t for an erroneous off-side call).
Pato and Neymar scored two goals a piece, and the 19-year-old Santos sensation officially announced to the world his arrival as “the next big thing.”
Moreover, Internazionale’s Maicon put on a stellar performance that had fans giddy with pleasure. Menezes surprised everyone by picking him instead of his usual choice, Barca’s Dani Alves, to start the match – and it paid off.
Condolences Alves, you have lost your original spot in the squad. Inter’s right-back stud will most likely start in the quarter-final clash against Paraguay.
Indeed, the Albirroja are lucky to still be in the competition. After three consecutive draws, Paraguay plows ahead as ‘the second best third’ team in the competition – barely a respectful achievement.
However, don’t write them off just yet. The talents of Valdez, Barrios and Estigarribia should be feared, and their entertaining 3 x 3 draw versus Venezuela showed us that there’s plenty of potential there waiting to blossom.
The biggest surprise of the tournament so far has to be Venezuela. Usually continental punch-bags, the Vinotinto arrive at the quarter-finals to face Chile undefeated. Two draws and one victory guaranteed them the second spot in the group, and they march ahead as a cohesive, passionate and extremely ambitious team. Forget baseball, these guys are here to use their toes.
And finally, Ecuador – the real punch-bags of the group. Plagued by injuries, they were cruelly eliminated after an abysmal campaign of two losses and one dire goalless draw against Paraguay. In truth, they were lucky to score twice against Brazil, on an unfortunate evening for keeper Julio Cesar, who failed on both occasions.
Group C: No Surprises, More or Less
The final group of the Copa gave us exactly what we expected: Chile and Uruguay both advancing into the next stage. However, the qualification of Peru to the quarter-finals as “the best third” team in the competition is a pleasant addition.
Led by Barcelona-bound Alexis Sanchez, Chile showed us their metal. The zippy striker earned La Roja a point in the draw against Uruguay after scoring a clever goal in great style, and from there Chile’s form kept consistent, beating Peru 1 x 0 and qualifying to the quarter-finals – where they’ll face Venezuela.
One of the favourites to win the tournament, Uruguay took a while to warm up, drawing against Peru and Chile, and finally claiming all 3 points versus a weak U23 Mexico side.
The Celeste have yet to truly impress, but this is a team that never surrenders, and they will put up a fight against the hosts on Saturday. Forlan seems to have finally found his mojo, and with a captain like Lugano at the back, and a poacher like Suarez upfront, this is a squad that will keep on improving if allowed to plow past Argentina.
Peru, on the other hand, continue to struggle. They are coming from a 1 x 0 loss to Chile, and are about to face the ambitious Colombia. Truthfully, their party is almost over.
And talking about dying parties, there really isn’t much to say about Mexico’s campaign at the Copa America. Led by the brilliant Gio dos Santos, this young squad leaves Argentina having collected zero points: three losses and only one goal scored. Adios.
But for the fans of the South American game, the party has only started.
Follow Rodrigo Beilfuss on Twitter @RBeilfuss
The words “..But before those two cheeky geniuses woke up,” make it sound like it was the players that were entirely at fault for the previous performances. No mention of the confusing system used by Batista and Menezes that played a part in the awful performances of both teams in the first two games. Only in the third game, when there was no confusion between Messi and Tevez did Messi resume his Barca duty as he had target men to whom he could slide passes to. As for Brazil, they finally had some width in the third game. André Santos’s cross for their opener was beautiful and I don’t think such a delivery was done in their previous game against Paraguay. Then there was Maicon’s byline cutback to Neymar for the 4th. That service was absent against Paraguay when the game plan was to keep playing through the middle with no success. Although the rescue goal that Brazil in the final minute came through the middle, but it was a tactic resulted in a one-dimensional play from Brazil & easily handled by Paraguay. Credit goes to Paraguay who kept Alves in check as he offered no attacking threat which but there was no imagination from Menezes to change things or try something different.
It will be interesting to see if whether Batista and Menezes will use these wins as proof to not retreat back to the failed systems of the first two games.