In the waning moments of the South American biannual soccer tournament it was clear that with a 2-0 win over Peru Uruguay, often called a giant-killer or surprise, announced themselves as one of the premier soccer clubs in the world.
Both goals in the game were scored by Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez. His first came in the 52 minute, and the next only five minutes later, in the 57 minute.
He did not stick around long for interviews after the game.
“Now, we’re going to celebrate and have fun,” Suarez said in a few short phrases to sideline reporters. “Tomorrow we can think about the rest.”
Wednesday Venezuela will face Paraguay. The winner of that match will play Uruguay for the Copa title. This will be the fifth time that Uruguay will play for the title, and if they win it will be their fourth championship, and if they win their first championship in the Copa America since 1995.
Their path has not been entirely linear, but they proved themselves consistently in each round. In Group C they gained enough points to be runners up, after Chile–a team that lost in the following round. They then moved on to face the expected winners, Argentina, whom they defeated after a 5-4 shoot out, and a 1-1 tie. With the 2-0 game Tuesday over Peru, Uruguay has proven that they are a serious contentender to win this year’s championship.
Paraguay is the favorite in the match against Venezuela. Paraguay triumphed over Brazil, a team considered to be a perennial favorite in any contest they enter, in the previous round on penalty kicks. Venezuela also joined in the “giant-killing” by defeating Chile.
“It was a very difficult game,” Oscar Tarabez, the coach for Uruguay, said in a press conference after the game. But, he said, “There never was a doubt for us.”
Wednesday’s game, and all games in the Copa America, can be seen live on youtube, here.