By Greg Robertson
3 News brings you VIDEO LIVE UPDATES of the Copa America quarter final clash between Argentina and Uruguay. Argentina haven’t won the title since 1993, and being at home, the pressure is intense particularly considering recent poor results. Lionel Messi had a cracker of a last match – can he make it two in a row and take the home nation through to a semifinal?
Make sure you refresh your browser occasionally to so you don’t miss any of the action and we’ll warn you that we’ve updated the video with a ‘Video up’ so you don’t miss any of the great match highlights. Enjoy!
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LIVE COMMENTARY… FINAL SCORE Argentina 1 Vs Uruguay 1 (4-5 in penalties)
URUGUAY WIN ON PENALTIES!
PENALTY SHOOTOUT- WATCH FOR A VIDEO LINK SOON.
Argentina: 4th - Pastore GOAL! ......... 5th Higuain: GOAL!
Uruguay: 4th - Gogarno GOAL! ............ 5th Caceres: GOAL! URUGUAY WIN! DRAMATIC FINISH...
Argentina: 1st - Messi: GOAL! ........ 2nd Burdisso: GOAL! ............ 3rd Tevez: MISS! His price just dropped 10 mill!
Uruguay: 1st - Forlan: GOAL! .......... 2nd Suarez: GOAL! ............... 3rd Scotti: GOAL! Advantage Uruguay.
It's penalty shootout time....Join us for the action and drama.
119 mins - Massive dive from Tevez and he picks up a yellow for his theatrics...C'mon Carlos.
117 mins - Can't be too long to go now...Messi has yet another chance but Muslera is up the the challenge...throw everything at it now lads before we head to the lottery that is penalties.
115 mins - Fairly limp and tired attack from Argentina comes to nothing, a lame Higuain ball drifts aimlessly across goal...
112 mins - All video updated of the recent action in extra time. Muslera continues to impress, he's keeping Uruguay in this as Argentina press...
109 mins - Aww, Messi and Higuain combine nicely and Messi gets the shot away but Muslera holds firm, he's kept well tonight, will he be required for penalties?
106 mins - Forlan starts with a shot, close stuff... 3 Sport's football man Andrew Gourdie is picking an Argentinian winner in this set of 15 mins...We will see Gourdie, we will see.
Halftime of extra time, can we find a winner in the next 15 minutes?
104 mins - Aww! Argentinan Higuain hit the post, another close run thing...video up soon of that one.
104 mins - Messi goes down and we have a free kick, what can Argentina do...Messi lobs one up and it's dealt with by Muslera.
102 mins - Neither side willing to make the pressing play...aww as I write that Tevez comes forward and lets rip...
98 mins - Biglia makes his way on, Gago's tired legs replaced...10 on 10 football, who are ya.
95 mins - Suarez lets go with a rather tired shot, it limps wide of the goal...
94 mins - Gago takes down Forlan and yet another yellow card, does everyone have at least one on the pitch?!
92 mins - Off and running in extra time, 15 minutes each way...who has the fitness and composure to win this one?
90 mins - Uruguay get inside the box and Suarez making himself known....aww there's the whistle, we are going to extra time...
89 mins - Awww! Free kick and Tevez takes it, cracking shot and forces a save from the keeper, then again as the deflection is saved, Higuain the unlucky one there...Great keeping Muslera. Video up.
85 mins - RED CARD and we are down to 10 on 10, Argentinian skipper Mascherano is off after a needless challenge, video up.
84 mins - Tevez is on, can he bring the spark...As Uruguay have a corner...Aww! Lugano's header goes over the bar...
79 mins - Messi staring to get in behind and work along the byline, getting balls away but with no real conviction...
76 mins - Higuain snaps a left foot shot on target, super save there from Muslera..Up the other end now and Forlan smashes one at Romero, save, save end to end. Quality...Video up.
75 mins - A rare corner, backed up by another, terrible delivery from the Argentinians, not deserving of any more text.
74 mins - The battle of the 10's continues, Diego Forlan having another crack from the left side of the park, crashes it into the wall though, not really that good Diego.
72 mins - Suarez goes down in a screaming heap, fair play a yellow is delivered to his tackler...The resulting free kick yeilds no result, Forlan a bit off with the delivery...
70 mins - Messi once again with the silver service but Zabaletta's finish leaves a bit to be desired...high and wide again...looks like your gunna have to do it yourself Lionel....
65 mins - End to end stuff, firstly Suarez should have done better with a limp cross and moments later Messi sets up Di Maria who gets it on target but can't make hay...who will crack first?
62 mins - Messi with another sweeping run and a quality ball across the face, the ball falls at Zabaletta's feet and he has a dig but it flies high, long and into the crowd. Video up.
60 mins - Argentina giving the ball away cheaply in midfield but Uruguay are just having to work that much harder without their eleventh man.
59 mins - A bit of an interruption as we have an intruder on the pitch, we would bring you video but the cameras aren't showing it, typical!
54 mins - Pereira gets his head on a cross but it glances wide, best chance of the half really...Argentina need to get back to the game plan and press home the advantage they have.
51 mins - Players just settling into their work in this second half no pressing attacks thus far...Teams perhaps a bit caught between attack and defence, a classic quarterfinal conundrum.
50 mins - Now it's Forlan's turn for a free kick, driven in by the former United player but it lacked a bit of power, not his best of the night.
47 min - Early free kick for the Argy', Messi goes down, gets up and looks around...
Players back on the pitch, Copa America, let's go....
Argentina had the Lion's share of possession in that first half but could only make one of their chances count...Second half action not far away.
That's halftime and the Uruguayians are still having a go at the ref....Time for a break, all video up from the first half, see you soon for the second spell.
44 mins - We are winding down to the break, Forlan delivers an excellent ball into the box and it's Lugano who heads...Awww! It's off the crossbar and Uruguay aren't about to lie down with 10 men, video up.
42 mins - Well that could shake things up quite a bit, 11 on 10 always makes for entertaining football.
39 mins - RED CARD, Goal scorer Diego Perez is off after picking up his second yellow. A needless body check really and while the Uruguyanians protest profusely it's to no avail, he is off, gone, out of here. Sit down champ. Video up.
33 mins - Here come the Uruguayians again, Forlan to deliver...what's he got? Well we have another DISALLOWED GOAL, wow, offside it looked like, touch and go for me, video up.
30 mins - Messi, what more can you say. The man is a magician, this time weaving his way and earning a free kick for Argentina, the man himself will take it...GOALLL, NO GOAL! IT IS DISALLOWED. Higuain managed to get it in the back of the net but not legally, he was involved in a bit of push and shove...quality ball in from Messi though, that man could land it on a 50p coin, your thoughts Swanny?
25 mins - Lovely buildup work from Argentina, Messi heavily involved. A ball is delivered into Higuain and a fair bit of shirt pulling goes on but nothing called by the ref or his assistants much to Higuain's disgust.
24 mins - Bit of fire in the belly for both sides now as they trade free kicks for fairly fiesty challenges. Good to see though...
20 mins - Two goals within 20 minutes, told you this was going to be a ripper.
17 mins - GOALLL! Argentina have struck back and once again Messi is the inspiration, Higuain the finish...and what a finish it was. Pinpoint ball from the right side from Messi and Higuain timed his run to perfection, nailing the header and leaving the keeper with no chance...We are all tied up, video up.
14 mins - Messi delivers a searching free kick into the box for Argentina...Uruguay stand firm though at the back, they seem well up for this one as Argentina launch another attack down the left hand flank.
10 mins - Di Maria goes down just outside the box for the Argy's but no love from the referee...things going the way of Uruguay at present.
9 mins - Check out the goal, cracking free kick from Forlan set things up. As Argentina press forward, their hand forced somewhat by that early goal...
5 mins - GOALLL! Diego Perez has bundled one in and Uruguay will play from in front...It came from a Diego Forlan free kick which came curling into the box, there was a touch and then Perez did the rest...Huge start for Uruguay. Pereez goes from zero to hero in a matter of minutes! Video up.
3 mins - First yellow of the match Perez picks it up...not a great start.
2 mins - Argentina press forward early and have a half shot on goal, it was Higuain who got boot to ball, video up soon.
Kickoff - Uruguay get us underway, these great rivals do battle once more. Who will make the early running?
The Elephant's Graveyard is the nickname of this stadium, who's grave will it be tonight?
Now it's Uruguay's turn, Diego Forlan looks ready for battle...
Anthems being sung, I'm a fan of the Argentinian anthem, stirring stuff.
Here we go, Colombia Vs Peru was the entree now get ready for the main course. Hopefully we are treated to a feast of goals..and hey, if Messi wants to score a hattrick, that's up to him...
Kick off is not far away but in the meantime watch highlights from the match between Argentina and Costa Rica.
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DETAIL
Copa America
8:15pm EST, July 17, 2011
Brigadier Gral. Estanislao López, Santa Fé, Argentina
Referee: Amarilla, Carlos (PAR)
SQUADS
Argentina - 23 Sergio Germán Romero (G), 8 Javier Zanetti (D), 6 Gabriel Milito (D), 4 Nicolas Burdisso (D), 3 Pablo Javier Zabaleta (D), 14 Javier (M), 16 Sergio Agüero (M), 10 Lionel Messi (M), 20 Fernando Gago (M), 7 Ángel Di María (M), 9 Gonzalo Higuaín (F), 1 Juan Carrizo (G), 12 Mariano Andújar (G), 13 Nicolás Pareja (D), 2 Ezequiel Garay (D), 17 Marcos Alberto Rojo (D), 5 Esteban Cambiasso (M), 15 Lucas Rodrigo Biglia (M), 18 Javier Pastore (M), 19 Ever Maximiliano Banega (M), 22 Diego Milito (F), 21 Ezeguiel Lavezzi (F), 11 Carlos Tévez. (F).
URUGUAY -1 Néstor Fernando Muslera (G), 11 Álvaro Pereira (D), 2 Diego Lugano (D), 16 Victor Maximiliano Pereira (D), 23 Sebastian Coates (D), 7 Cristian Gabriel Rodríguez (M), 15 Diego Pérez (M), 20 Alvaro González (M), 17 Egidio Arévalo (M), 10 Diego Martín Forlán (F), 9 Luis Suárez (F). Substitutes… 12 Juan Castillo (G), 23 Martin Silva (G), 3 Diego Godín (D), 19 Andrés Scotti (D), 5 Mauricio Victorino (D), 22 José Martín Caceres (D), 8 Sebastin Eguren Vazquez (M), 4 Wálter Alejandro Gargano (M), 14 Nicolas Lodeiro (M), 13 Sebastian Abreu (F), 21 Edison Cavani (F), 18 Abel Hernandez (F).
PREGAME
Fans bombarded Lionel Messi with jeers and graphic profanities last week in a disorganized 0-0 draw against Colombia, illustrating what his father Jorge called the "terrible pressure" on the Barcelona star at home during the Copa America.
It could get even uglier if Argentina loses to Uruguay on Saturday in a quarterfinal being played in the northern city of Santa Fe, the same venue as last week's debacle and just a short drive from Messi's birthplace in Rosario.
This is supposed to be the tournament Argentina wins to end an 18-year drought without a major international title. But its small neighbour across the River Plate estuary stands in the way with almost the same team that reached last year's World Cup semifinals.
"Against Uruguay, this is a final," said Messi, who has not scored for Argentina in his last 15 competitive internationals, including the Copa America, World Cup and World Cup qualifiers.
The other three weekend quarterfinals offer more regional intrigue. Colombia faces Peru on Saturday, before two-time defending champion Brazil plays Paraguay and Venezuela takes on Chile on Sunday.
The final is July 24, and that's the first time Argentina and Brazil could meet.
Brazil has won the last two titles - both in finals against Argentina - and four of the last five.
Messi and Argentina redeemed themselves on Monday, defeating Costa Rica 3-0. After two miserable opening games, coach Sergio Batista dropped Messi back into a playmaker role. He dribbled and turned just as he does at Barcelona, threading passes to forwards Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain and Angel Di Maria.
Batista will go with the same 11 with Fernando Gago and Javier Mascherano at midfield.
The victory still wasn't overly impressive, as Costa Rica fielded an under-23, Olympic-style team in the South American championship, where they played as a guest from the CONCACAF region.
Uruguay, meanwhile, has one of the most experienced teams in the tournament led by forwards Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez.
Messi, who has hardly spoken publicly during the first two weeks, held his first news conference on Thursday and was immediately asked if - faced with the nasty insults from fans - he intended to keep playing for Argentina's national team.
"Although they criticize me, I will always come to the national team," Messi said. "Criticism by the fans bothers me and everyone, but we are aware that we didn't do things correctly. ... Nobody likes to be whistled at. It happened because the team did not play well."
Julio Grondona, the president of the Argentine Football Association, in a radio interview talked tongue-in-cheek about Messi staying away from
Argentina, where he is often seen an outsider and lacks the charisma of Diego Maradona.
"The solution would be if he (Messi) said: `I'm not coming again, I'm staying in Spain."'
The game could center around two forwards who are teammates at Atletico de Madrid - Forlan and Argentina's Sergio Aguero.
Aguero, who has said he "will not return" to the Madrid club, has scored three of Argentina's four goals.
Forlan is in a terrible slump. Voted the best player in last year's World Cup, he has not scored a goal with the national team since South Africa. His last goal with Atletico de Madrid was in March.
Forlan's had chances in the first three games, left open several times only to shoot wide or over the crossbar.
"I'm not going to drive myself crazy. The goals will come," Forlan said.
Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez said he was not worrying about Messi.
"If you have a problem, and you have no solution - why worry about it," Tabarez said.
AP