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Uruguay 3-0 Jamaica: Hernández brace fuels transfer chatter
All the sights and sounds from Levi’s Stadium as Uruguay defeated Jamaica 3-0 in the Copa America Centenario.
The transfer mill started rumbling into action right on cue.
Hull City forward Abel Hernández scored a brace for Uruguay as they exited the Copa America Centenario against Jamaica and before the final whistle had even blown at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, the English press were hot on the heels of the story. The forward, who plays in the English Championship, has been linked with numerous top division teams across Europe such as Watford, Roma, and Fiorentina, and there will doubtless be more speculation in the coming days after his dynamic performance on Monday night.
Hernandez was a bright spot for Uruguay in what was otherwise a disappointing tournament for La Celeste as they crashed out at the group stage. The twenty-five-year-old’s movement was too much to handle for a downtrodden Jamaican team who head home without as much as a goal in the tournament.
Although both sides had already been eliminated from the tournament following losses to Mexico and Venezuela, it was a matter of pride as they squared off in front of a somewhat sparse crowd at Levi’s (though official attendance was a more impressive 40,166).
The home of the San Francisco 49ers can feel both hollow and intimidating at times, such is its scale and corporate feel, but Uruguay’s bright start helped liven the mood.
Jamaica got off to an inauspicious start, attempting to chip the Uruguayan goalkeeper directly from kickoff — a move that typified their tournament. Suffice to say, the ball ballooned high and wide.
It was a little chippy early on as Michael Hector caught Diego Godin with a high, studs up challenge and the Chelsea academy player went into the book for another challenge near the half-hour mark.
Jamaica struggled to string together passes as Uruguay pressed high up the pitch and Hernandez was explosive running in behind Jamaica’s lines all night long. He burst in on goal in the seventh minute, only to get the ball caught under his feet and poke a weak effort right at Fernando Muslera.
Edison Cavani was also dangerous from the left, flicking a near-post header just wide from the following corner and driving a low effort into the side netting soon after.
Hernandez’s opening goal for Uruguay in the twenty-first minute hardly came as a surprise. He peeled off his marker and ran in on goal from Nicolás Lauder’s through ball, tucking away a cool finish into the roof of the net.
The forward nearly had a second moments later, forcing Andre Blake into a good low save after creating space for a low shot on the edge of the area. Godin headed just over form the following corner.
Although Jamaica grew into the game, Winfried Schäfer’s men lacked any sort of bite through the middle and their buildup play consisted mostly of cycling the ball around the back before being penned in by Uruguay and then bombing a long ball forward. Gareth McCleary’s low daisy-cutter was easing pickings for Muslera but at least it was something for the Caribbean team.
On the other side of the half, McCleary arrowed another shot narrowly wide of the post from twenty-five yards and for the first time, Jamaica began to push men forward. Michael Hector drove a low effort on target from the edge of the area, which Muslera easily collected.
Yet the Reggae Boyz were increasingly vulnerable on the break and Uruguay put the game to bed with a second goal.
Everybody was talking about Raul Ruidiaz’s controversial handball goal for Peru against Brazil yesterday, but Uruguay won the game with a handball as well. This time it was more comical than controversial, though. Lodeiro again found Hernandez with a lovely cross from the left and although the forward could only get a slight touch on the ball, it unfortunately deflected off of Je-Vaughn Watson’s hand and into the back of the net.
Cavani came close late on, whipping a gorgeous effort just over the bar from fifteen yards and hitting the post with a looping header, and Matias Corujo added a third for Uruguay with a cool finish on the break.
Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez has been grilled by the South American media after their dreadful losses to Mexico and Venezuela, but perhaps the pressure will ease up on them a little now.
Said Tabarez: “We had a poor showing, we didn’t think that we would be eliminated at the group stages. But after losing two games, we talked with ourselves and knew that we needed to win this game and allow us to regain our footing. We needed to prove that to ourselves.”
Homepage photo credit: Sanvieira12 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons