Gimenez unhappy with performance

Jose Maria Gimenez has spoken of his relief at seeing Uruguay reach the Copa America quarter-finals, despite his error in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Paraguay.

The Atletico Madrid defender went from hero to villain in 15 first-half minutes, heading his country ahead before losing Lucas Barrios for La Albirroja’s equaliser.

“Uruguay always play to win,” he said after the match.

“They scored their goal, but we’d have won the game or things would’ve panned out differently if they didn’t.

“Personally I’m not satisfied with what happened, but I’m happy for the team. We played well and always had the ball. Now let’s think about what’s up next.

“There was a lot at stake; the prestige, the badge, a country behind us. We never play to lose or draw, we always go out to win. [Sunday] reflected that.

Uruguay will now face Chile in the last four, and the omens look good for Gimenez’s side, having beat the tournament hosts 2-1 in a friendly last November.

“We’ve played against Chile and know what they’re like,” he added.

“They played well [against Bolivia] and scored five goals, but we’ll play our own game and attack them.”

Tags Chile Copa America Jose Maria Gimenez Paraguay Uruguay
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