2011 Copa América final facts for kids
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The celebration of the Uruguayan players
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| Event | 2011 Copa América | ||||||
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| Date | 24 July 2011 | ||||||
| Venue | Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Buenos Aires | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Luis Suárez (Uruguay) | ||||||
| Referee | Sálvio Fagundes (Brazil) | ||||||
| Weather | Clear 14 °C (57 °F) |
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The 2011 Copa América final was the exciting last game of the 2011 Copa América. This big international football tournament happened in Argentina from July 1 to July 24, 2011. The final match took place on July 24 at the Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti in Buenos Aires. It was played between two strong teams: Uruguay and Paraguay.
Uruguay won the game with a score of 3–0. This victory gave them their 15th Copa América title, which was a record! Paraguay finished as the runner-up. By winning, Uruguay also earned the chance to represent South America (CONMEBOL) in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.
Contents
About the Final Teams
This final was special because it was the first time since 2001 that neither Argentina nor Brazil were playing for the championship title. Both Uruguay and Paraguay had won the Copa América many times before.
Uruguay's History in the Copa América
Uruguay held the record for the most Copa América titles, with 14 wins. Their last victory before 2011 was in 1995. They had reached the final more recently in 1999, but they lost to Brazil that year.
Paraguay's History in the Copa América
Paraguay had won the competition twice before. Their last win was in 1979. That year was also the last time Paraguay had made it to the final match. Interestingly, Paraguay reached the 2011 final without winning a single game in the tournament's regular play! They drew all their matches and won in penalty shoot-outs.
How They Reached the Final
Both Uruguay and Paraguay had an interesting journey to the final match.
Uruguay's Path to the Final
Uruguay played in Group C during the group stage.
- Their first game was against Peru, which ended in a 1–1 draw.
- Next, they played Chile, and that game also finished 1–1.
- In their final group match, Uruguay beat Mexico 1–0.
Uruguay finished second in their group, which was enough to move on to the knockout stage.
In the knockout stage:
- Quarter-finals: Uruguay faced the host nation, Argentina. It was a tough game that ended 1–1 after extra time. Uruguay won the penalty shoot-out 5–4, which was a huge upset!
- Semi-finals: They then played Peru again and won 2–0, securing their spot in the final.
Paraguay's Path to the Final
Paraguay was in Group B for the group stage.
- Their first game against Ecuador ended in a 0–0 draw.
- Next, they drew 2–2 with Brazil, a very strong team.
- Their last group match against Venezuela was a high-scoring 3–3 draw.
Paraguay finished third in their group. Even though they didn't win any games, they still qualified for the knockout stage as one of the best third-place teams.
In the knockout stage:
- Quarter-finals: Paraguay played Brazil. The game ended 0–0 after extra time. Paraguay won the penalty shoot-out 2–0, which was a big surprise!
- Semi-finals: They then faced Venezuela. This game also ended 0–0 after extra time. Paraguay won another penalty shoot-out, this time 5–3, to reach the final.
The Final Match Details
The final match was played on July 24, 2011, at 4:00 PM local time. The stadium was the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. The referee for the match was Sálvio Spínola from Brazil.
| 24 July 2011 16:00 UTC−3 |
Uruguay  |
3–0 |  Paraguay |
Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires Referee: Sálvio Spínola (Brazil) |
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| https://web.archive.org/web/20110723011751/http://df1.conmebol.com/copaamerica/fichas/ficha99089.html |
Uruguay scored three goals in the match.
- The first goal came from Luis Suárez in the 11th minute.
- Diego Forlán scored the second goal in the 41st minute.
- Forlán scored his second goal, and Uruguay's third, in the 89th minute, sealing the victory.
Paraguay was unable to score any goals against Uruguay's strong defense.
Team Line-ups
Here are the players who started the match for each team, along with some substitutions:
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:Final de la Copa América 2011 para niños
