Of course it had to be Luis Suarez…
One of the most polarizing players in world football, the 37-year-old Inter Miami striker came on as a substitute and scored an equaliser for Uruguay in added time to send the top-flight match into a penalty shootout.
Ismael Koné, who had scored a brilliant, innovative goal earlier, and Canada’s star player Alphonso Davies both failed to convert their penalties, giving Uruguay the victory.
Rodrigo Bentancur put Uruguay ahead with a shot from a tight angle, then Kone tied it for Canada. I’m not sure what it was, maybe a standing bicycle kick with one foot on the ground. But it was ambitious and audacious. I liked that.
Facundo Pellestri had a first-half goal ruled out by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), but substitute Jonathan David scored for Canada in the 80th minute. Pellestri’s team looked set to pocket a $1 million windfall (third-place team in the Copa America gets $5 million, fourth-place team gets $4 million), but Suarez had other ideas.
Add in pre-match comments from two former Leeds United managers – Marcelo Bielsa said the tournament was “unprofessional” and Jesse Marsch claimed his team were being treated like “second-class” citizens – and this was always going to be a lively fixture.
And in the end, it was Uruguay and Bielsa who emerged victorious.
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Luis Suarez is hero as Uruguay wins Copa America third-place match on penalties