The Uruguayan national team defeated Bolivia in the second round of the Copa América. The match took place at the MetLife Stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and ended with a 5-0 result with goals from Facundo Pellistri (8′), Darwin Núñez (21′), Maximiliano Araújo (77′), Federico Valverde (80′) and Rodrigo Betancour (88′). Thanks to this result, the Celestes are now in first place in Group C, taking advantage of the previous defeat of the United States.

In the very first minute of the match, Darwin Núñez—Liverpool’s striker—had a clear opportunity in front of the Bolivian goal; however, his shot went wide. Nevertheless, the Uruguayan attack was rewarded when Facundo Pellistri opened the scoring with a precise header that pierced Guillermo Viscarra’s net.

Uruguay 🇺🇾 open the scoring!

Facundo Pellistri heads the ball ⚽️ to score the first goal against Bolivia 🇧🇴

The goal scored by the Granada forward came after a double rebound in the Bolivian six-yard box. Pellistri, 22, achieved his first official goal wearing the Uruguayan jersey and quickly broke through the Bolivian defense to secure an important victory for Marcelo Bielsa’s team.

After the first goal, the Uruguayan attack pressed hard on the Bolivian goal; however, Darwin Núñez’s shots were either blocked by the defense or saved by the goalkeeper. It wasn’t until the 21st minute of the first half that the Liverpool striker managed to beat Viscarra with a low shot following a great assist from Maximiliano Araújo, a winger for Toluca in Liga MX.

We have a second goal 🔥

Darwin Núñez netted the ball to make the difference even bigger ⚽️

After the two goals in the first half hour of play, Marcelo Bielsa’s pupils “took their foot off the gas” and began to concede possession and initiative to Bolivia, who had two corner kicks that did not pose much threat to Sergio Rochet’s goal.

Just five minutes into the second half, Facundo Pellistri took the first shot of the second half; however, the ball ended up in Viscarra’s gloves, who had no trouble blocking the Uruguayan forward’s shot.

Although Uruguay continued to maintain possession of the ball, they generated little threat on Bolivia’s goal as the pace of the game slowed down. However, it wasn’t until the 71st minute that the Uruguayans threatened again, thanks to a great individual play by Maxi Araújo, which was deflected by the Bolivian goalkeeper. The play ended with Pellistri missing the ball.

In the 77th minute, the Toluca player—who had already posed a threat earlier—scored the third goal after a precise assist from Nicolás de la Cruz, finishing with a low shot that Viscarra couldn’t save.

Just three minutes (80′) after de la Cruz’s goal, Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde increased the lead even further by scoring the fourth goal of the night. The Uruguayan took advantage of a collective play to finish with the inside of his foot, sending the ball to the right post of the Bolivian goalkeeper.

After Valverde’s goal, he made way for Luis Suárez, who saw about nine minutes of action.

In the 88th minute, Rodrigo Betancur managed to connect with a precise header after a free kick from Giorgian de Arrascaeta, making it 5-0 with a dominating performance.

With this result, Uruguay finished as the leader of Group C in the Copa América, with a great goal difference of eight in favor and one against. Their next game will be against the United States, while Bolivia will face Panama.