EPL Players at Copa America 2024 – Day 21
10-man Colombia held on against Uruguay to book passage into the final where Argentina awaits. As part of our EPLNews Copa America report, here is how Premier League players involved in the tournament performed.
Uruguay 0-1 Colombia
It was a tense affair in Charlotte for the entire 90 minutes and then some, as Uruguay players clashed with some of the Colombian fans after the final whistle.
The first half started with Los Cafeteros dominating proceedings, but Uruguay grew into the contest and missed two big chances through Liverpool striker Darwin Núñez.
With half time approaching, Colombia went from joy to despair thanks to a Crystal Palace duo. Jefferson Lerma opened the scoring first with a precise header and then Daniel Muñoz saw his second yellow card of the game and was sent off.
Despite the numerical advantage, Uruguay did not create many chances in the second half, with only Luis Suarez shot against the woodwork really notable. Colombia held firm and sealed their place in the tournament’s final.
Premier League players were very much in the spotlight in this one, either for good or bad reasons. The worst performance of the bunch was put in by the red-carded Muñoz, while Núñez also did not do enough for a good grade. Goalscorer Lerma and Tottenham’s Bentancur had a good game, but only one of them will be featuring in the final.
Ratings
Uruguay: Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham) – 7; Facundo Pellistri (Manchester United) – 5.5; Darwin Núñez (Liverpool) – 6
Colombia: Daniel Muñoz (Crystal Palace) – 4.5; Jefferson Lerma (Crystal Palace) – 7.5; Luis Diaz (Liverpool) – 7; Luis Sinisterra (Bournemouth) – N/A