For a while it looked like Copa America might have itself another shocker. Argentina and Brazil had already been drawn in the tournament, but Uruguay was going to do them one better in getting beaten by Peru. That's what it looked like after Paolo Guerrero scored for Peru to go ahead 1-0, but a Luis Suarez goal on the final play of the first half has leveled things to put the talk of upset on hold for just a bit.
Copa America 2011, Uruguay Vs. Peru: Uruguay Comes Back To Level At Halftime
It wasn't the brightest of starts for Uruguay. Their trio of forwards, Diego Forlan, Edinson Cavani and Suarez, all struggled to get going. Their 4-3-3 formation got too narrow, making it too easy for the five-man Peru backline to defend. Uruguay's midfield also struggled to make an impact, forcing Forlan to drop far too deep to see the ball.
With Uruguay struggling to do much with their possession in the final third, Peru looked comfortable and after 23 minutes they had every reason to feel exceedingly comfortable. One again Uruguay gave the ball away in the attacking half and Peru countered quickly with a long ball over the top of the Uruguay backline. WIth the defense looking for an offisde call, Guerrero was running onto the ball, sidestepped the goalkeeper and finishing to put Peru ahead, 1-0.
Following Guerrero's goal, Uruguay began to find their rhythm. The midfield improved and their forwards were able to get touches much closer to goal. Twice defenders made key blocks to keep shots from leveling and Raul Fernandez made a spectacular save on a Diego Forlan rifle of a free kick to keep Peru in front.
Fernandez couldn’t do anything about Suarez’s goal though. The Peru backline that had been so organized was all over the place and kept Suarez onside as he made a run from just outside the 18-yard box. He gathered a good pass just 15 yards from the goal and calmly finished past a helpless Fernandez to level just seconds before the referee blew his whistle for the end of the first half.
Now back even, Uruguay is back to being the favorites just a goal away from victory. They've been the better team and with the midfield beginning to grab a hold of the match they are in a good position to play a strong second half to grab three points. If they can do what they did in the final 20 minutes of the half and get their forwards the ball somewhere in the vicinity of the goal, they will make another mark on the scoreboard.
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