As the 2024 Copa América nears its conclusion, the penultimate match of the tournament took place today. At the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, Canada and Uruguay competed for third place.
For the first time in its history, Canada reached the Copa América playoffs. Despite their impressive tournament run, Uruguay was still seen as the favorite. The match, however, proved to be anything but simple.
Uruguay took an early lead with a goal from Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, but Marseille’s Ismaël Koné soon equalized, leaving the teams tied at halftime.
The second half was marked by fierce competition and effective substitutions from both coaches. In the 67th minute, Lille striker Jonathan David entered the field and put Canada ahead thirteen minutes later. Uruguay’s savior, Luis Suárez, came on after the break and scored the equalizer in the second minute of added time.
With regulation time ending in a draw, the match went straight to a penalty shootout, as per tournament rules. Canada took the first penalty, but Ismaël Koné missed the third shot. Uruguay remained flawless, and the decisive miss came from Bayern Munich star defender Alphonso Davies, who missed the fifth shot.
2024 Copa América
Third Place Match: Canada vs Uruguay 2:3 (after penalties)
Goals: Koné 22’, David 80’ – Bentancur 8’, Suárez 90+2’
This marks the first time in thirteen years that Uruguay has secured a medal at the Copa América, with their last continental achievement being the championship win in 2011. Seven years prior to that, they similarly claimed third place.