Match 3 - Ecuador 1-2 Venezuela
Venezuela is one of the two founding members of Copa América to have never won the competition. They probably don't expect to this time. Still, when Ecuador were reduced to 10 men in the 22nd minute for a late and dangerous tackle by Enner Valencia, they may have hoped to at least get this group of to a good start. Then, on 40 minutes, Jeremy Sarmiento let rip from outside the box and put Ecuador in the lead.
But in the Santa Clara heat the pressure Venezuela were able to exert with the extra man was telling and Jhonder Cadiz equalized in the 64th minute. Ten minutes later a save from the Ecuador keeper only got as far as Eduard Bello and he slammed the ball home to give Venezuela a lead they would not relinquish.
Attendance: 29,864
Match 4 - Mexico 1-0 Jamaica
Mexico have won nearly 60% of the games they've played against Jamaica. Today, in Texas, they had 60% of the possession, 60% of the shots, and 100% of the victory.
But statistics don't tell the full story of a close fought, but scrappy, game where The Reggae Boys thought they'd taken the lead, only for VAR to show West Ham's Lembikisa to be off-side.
Lembikisa wasn't the only unlucky Hammer to be playing today. Earlier in the match Mexico Captain Alvarez had to be subbed off for what appeared to be a hamstring injury. But Mexico overcame his loss, and the scare, to take the lead with defender Arteaga had a speculative shot from the edge of the box and saw it scream into the net.
Attendance: 45,000
| Match Number | Teams | 1st Half Score | 2nd Half Score | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Ecuador v Venezuela | 1-0 | 0-2 | 1-2 |
| 4 | Mexico v Jamaica | 0-0 | 1-0 | 1-0 |
| Total Matchday Goals | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Total Tournament Goals | 1 | 5 | 6 |
Tomorrow's two matches are:
| Team A | Team B | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| USA | Bolivia | Arlington, TX |
| Uruguay | Panama | Miami, FL |
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text by stuartcturnbull art by CONMEBOL & altered by stuartcturnbull