The Hindu : Sport / Football : Tevez's terrific strike packs off Peru

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Monday, Jul 19, 2004

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Sport - Football

Tevez's terrific strike packs off Peru

CHICLAYO (PERU), JULY 18. Argentina eliminated host Peru 1-0 in the quarterfinals on Saturday and will try to end defending champion Colombia's 10-match unbeaten streak since 2001 at the Copa America.

Colombia, which easily dispatched Costa Rica 2-0 on first-half goals from Abel Aguilar and Tressor Moreno at Trujillo, takes on Argentina in the first semifinal on Tuesday at Lima.

It took the inspired substitution of Carlos Tevez for Argentina to get past host Peru 1-0 in a tale of free-kicks.

Only three minutes after entering the match at the packed Elias Aguirre Stadium, Tevez bent an unstoppable free-kick inside the left corner of the goal in the 61st minute. ``I hit it like I always do and fortunately it went in,'' said Tevez.

But when Peru got a free-kick — also straight out in front — four minutes later, Nolberto Solano's attempt hit the crossbar.

Tevez, only 20, has dominated the Argentine league for the last 18 months, leading Boca Juniors to the Copa Libertadores championship and the Intercontinental Cup, and urging many to wonder why national coach Marcelo Bielsa waited until last month to start the 2003 Latin American player of the year.

But Bielsa's decision to insert Tevez for Andres D'Alessandro on Saturday was perfectly timed. After Tevez's shot beat goalkeeper Oscar Ibanez, he pumped his arms in the air to celebrate as team-mates raced over to hug him.

Peru played without three of its top players: strikers Jefferson Farfan (suspended) and Flavio Maestri (injured), and captain Claudio Pizarro (injured).

Argentina's Javier Saviola, who is tied with Brazil's Adriano as the tournament leading scorer with three goals, did not start again due to a leg muscle injury.

Argentina won for the 11th time in 16 Copa matches against Peru, which was ousted in the quarterfinals for a third straight Copa.

Costa Rica beaten

A little south down the coast at Trujillo, a well-rested Colombia easily beat Costa Rica at Mansiche Stadium.

Aguilar one-timed a low right cross from Jairo Patino near the penalty spot in the 41st minute and two minutes into first-half injury time, Tressor Moreno converted a penalty he drew when he was tripped up on a breakaway by Costa Rica goalkeeper Ricardo Gonzalez.

A diving Gonzalez got a touch on Moreno's spot kick into the bottom left corner but not enough, and he thumped both fists on the turf.

Colombia coach Reinaldo Rueda said his young squad had shown discipline and cohesion as it stayed on track to repeat as champion.

``This is a disciplined and orderly bunch of guys,'' he said. The team ``had to be intelligent in this game because Costa Rica is a dangerous team and they succeeded in advancing.''Rueda said the win showed a new side of Colombian soccer, leaving behind the occasional showboating that had brought previous teams criticism. ``That era has come to an end,'' he said. ``Now Colombia has a different concept of what it takes to win: sacrifice.''

Costa Rica enjoyed the best chances about halfway through the first half. Andy Herron, the hero from the qualifier win over Chile on Wednesday, received a perfect deep pass but hurried his shot wide in the face of Colombia 'keeper Juan Carlos Henao. Moments later, Henao had to make a good save on an attempt by Cristian Badilla.

Moreno, unmarked and racing forward, could have put Colombia on the board when he hit the top of the crossbar in the 27th minute, but Colombia moved on comfortably to face Argentina which it beat 2-0 in a friendly only nine days before the Copa began. — AP

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