The Copa América continued on Wednesday evening with two closely matched matches as Ecuador took on Jamaica and Venezuela clashed with Mexico. This is what happened in group B.
Venezuela 1-0 Mexico
Scorers: Rondon (P) 56′
Venezuela withstood pressure from late Mexico to collect all three points thanks to a penalty from Salomón Rondón.
Unlike the clash between Jamaica and Ecuador earlier in the evening, Mexico and Venezuela didn’t quite show the same attacking prowess, but there was plenty of drama on display.
After a loss of quality in the first half in the final third, Venezuela finally had a chance to take the lead when Julián Quiñones was whistled for a foul in the penalty area, forcing the referee to award a penalty.
Veteran striker Salomón Rondón, who plays in Mexico, stepped up and drove the dagger in from the spot, denting the scoresheet.
Mexico looked set to hit back, but a heroic goalkeeping display from Rafael Romo kept Venezuela ahead after the hour.
After knocking on the door, Mexico finally got the luck they needed when a Venezuela defender raised his arm to block a shot. El Tri were also awarded a penalty.
The happiness did not last long, however, as Orbelín Pineda stepped up and fired a slow, rolling penalty straight at the keeper.
Despite another late push, Mexico failed to cross the finish line and take a point.
Ecuador 3-1 Jamaica
Goalscorers: Palmer (OG) 13′, Páez (P) 45+4′, Minda 90+1′; Antonia 54′
Ecuador took three important points in a narrow victory over Jamaica.
It was a tense affair from the start, as is the case with many Copa América matches, with Ecuador being the first to take advantage of the chaos.
A cross from Piero Hincapié from the sideline was slightly deflected and then ended up in the net from a very sharp angle.
Ecuador almost doubled their lead with the final kick of the half thanks to youngster Kendry Páez, who converted a penalty after Jamaica had been awarded a handball in the penalty area.
Fortunately for the Reggae Boyz, they have enough attacking talent on their side to even the balance, and West Ham man Michail Antonio got them rolling after the break, striking to halve the deficit.
The tension was further heightened when, after a lengthy review of a possible handball in the Ecuadorian penalty area, VAR failed to award a penalty, much to the annoyance of the Jamaican players and bench.
That blow seemed enough to take the wind out of the sails, and Ecuador capitalised with a stunning solo goal from Alan Minda to put the final nail in the coffin.
