(EFE). A goal from centre-back Facundo Gonzalez gave Uruguay a 1-0 victory over Colombia on Tuesday in an even-tempered match on day one of the last six-legged South American Sub-20.
Marcelo Broglie’s side went all out at El Campín, with 28,187 fans in the stands, as they drenched Colombia with their high pressure in the opening minutes and had their first goal opportunity in the first minute with a long shot. The distance from Damian Garcia, who almost surprised the Colombian goalkeeper Luis Marquins.
In this section, the hosts faced many difficulties due to the good work of players such as Luciano Rodriguez, Fabricio Diaz, Álvaro Rodriguez and Franco Gonzalez, in particular, who gave local defenders headaches with their movement and pressure.
The Celeste player reached 11 clear in a group match between González and Renzo Sanchez that ended with a shot in the area from Luciano Rodríguez that was deflected horizontally.
However, Colombia chipped away at La Celeste’s dominance as the minutes went by and their clearest chance came in the 30th minute, when Juan Castilla received a cross into the side of the penalty area and, with a touch, Oscar Cortes crossed the left. A shot that upsets Uruguay goalkeeper Randall Rodriguez.
Meanwhile, La Celeste resumed the counterattack and had another clear goal with a shot from Gonzalez that was saved by center back Kevin Mantilla, who plays for Independiente Santa Fe, on the line.
The game went back and forth, La Celeste almost getting a shot from Luciano Rodriguez that went close to the Colombian goal, while that of Hector Cárdenas had another important shot with a shot from midfielder Juan Castilla that was just about to go. Randall Rodriguez.
In the second half, the match was held on the territory of Uruguay for a longer period than on the home soil. Captain Gustavo Puerta, recently signed by Bayer Leverkusen, and Castillo Manyoma have taken up the baton of the locals.
However, the speed of Uruguay’s forwards remained a danger factor for the hosts, who suffered every time their opponents managed to put together dangerous attacking plays.
As the minutes passed, the game began to fight more than it was being played. Teams often entered danger, and players such as Colombian Miguel Monsalve and Isaac Zuleta or Uruguayan Juan de los Santos, who entered the second half, were not weak in the match.
However, when the match seemed to end in a draw, La Celeste got the goal with a free kick taken by Fabricio Diaz and goalkeeper Marquins led to a rebound by central defender González to celebrate the winning goal in a very close match. Where the directors endorsed by Marcelo Brogli preferred to win the title.
In the next round scheduled for Friday, Uruguay will face Ecuador, which fell 3-1 with Brazil, and Colombia will play against Paraguay, which drew 1-1 with Venezuela.
Match sheet
Uruguay (1): Randall Rodriguez; Matteo Ponte, Sebastien Boselli, Facundo Gonzalez, Matias de Retis; Damián Garcia, Fabricio Diaz, Luciano Rodriguez (M88, Valentin Gauthier), Franco Gonzalez (M88, Nicholas Seri); Renzo Sanchez (M82, Rodrigo Chagas) and Alvaro Rodriguez (M68, Juan de los Santos).
DT: Marcelo Brogli.
Colombia (0): Louis Markins; Eder Ocampo, Fernando Alvarez, Kevin Mantilla, Andres Salazar; Juan Castilla (m73, Johan Torres), Gustavo Puerta, John Velez (m63, Miguel Monsalve), Oscar Cortes, Alexis Castillo Manyoma, and Ricardo Caraballo (m52, Isaac Zuleta).
DT: Hector Cardenas.
Objectives: 1-0, 76 minutes: Facundo Gonzalez.
Rule: Chilean Cristian Garay. He blamed Andres Salazar, John Velez, Edir Ocampo and Juan de los Santos.
Incidents: Match day one of the last six-legged South American Sub-20 Championship contested at El Campín Stadium in Bogota.
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