Copa America 2011 Quarterfinals, Argentina Vs. Uruguay: Hosts Eliminated By 5 Perfect Penalties

The fans in Sante Fe, Argentina are caught somewhere between shock and anger as some booed their home team mercilessly after the defeat while some just looked on in silence, seemingly unable to process exactly what had just happened.

Perez would finally get sent off near the end of the second half and Uruguay were forced to play just over 45 minutes with a man disadvantage. Though Diego Forlan played brilliantly from that point on, his work rate making him seem like two men at times, Argentina dominated most of the possession and chances from that point forward.

Argentina has not made a change to their lineup from their last group stage match. That team got the ball to Lionel Messi early and often, then worked around him, allowing Messi to show his brilliance in setting up his teammates time and time again. The one question is whether or not Gonzalo Higuain will finish after wasting so many chances last match.

Forlan is in one of those classic slumps that star strikers occasionally have in which he does everything right but the ball simply won’t go in. Once he hits the back of the net, he’ll have his confidence back and he’ll start banging them in again without a problem. Still, even if Forlan is able to break his scoreless streak against Argentina on Saturday night, his team will need some other major contributors to step up. Cavani should be out yet again, and he is arguably Uruguay’s best player at this point in time.

After Argentina’s big win over Costa Rica, the Elephants Graveyard in Sante Fe will host an absolutely raucous crowd as the hosts Argentina face off against their rivals across the Rio de la Plata. Argentina are the favorites, but betting men should steer clear of this matchup.