Salomon Rondon scored a penalty in the second half to send Venezuela into the quarterfinals of the Copa América on Wednesday, beating Mexico 1-0 in Group B.
Jamaica was eliminated from the event in the same game.
Rondon, who has 42 goals for Venezuela all-time, made no mistake from the penalty spot in the 57th minute when Julian Quinones brought down Jon Aramburu in the box. He beat Julio Gonzalez, the Mexico goalkeeper, and put the ball in the bottom corner.
As a result, Venezuela won its first game against Mexico in 13 games.
As the game was coming to a close, Mexico was given a penalty for handball, but Orbelin Pineda’s penalty kick was blocked by Rafael Romo.
With the win, Venezuela, who already beat Ecuador in their first game, went to the top of the group with six points and a game to spare in the round of eight.
On Sunday, Mexico plays Ecuador in Arizona in a game that will decide the other qualifier from the group. El Tri needs to win to move on.
Jamaica is out because they already lost to Mexico and Ecuador, so it doesn’t matter how their last game against Venezuela in Texas goes.
If Venezuela draws or beats Jamaica in their last game, they could win their group and avoid playing reigning champions Argentina in the quarterfinals.
Romo saved a penalty, which was one of five stops that kept Mexico from scoring an equalizer. His last two saves came after Pineda missed a penalty.
First, he bravely blocked Cesar Huerta’s low drive in the 88th minute. Then, in stoppage time, he stopped Guillermo Martinez’s close-range shot.
Mexico had the better of the first 30 minutes, but Romo was able to stop Santiago Gimenez’s weak shot after Luis Chavez passed the ball to him.
Venezuela got better as the game went on. In the 34th minute, Rondon hit the post with a dipping half-volley, and in the 50th, Yeferson Soteldo forced Gonzalez to make a save near the post.
FAQ’s
Q1: How many Copa America has Venezuela won?
Answer: When Venezuela participated in the Copa America for the first time, it defeated Bolivia 3-0 in 1967, the only victory in the competition’s history.
Q2: Has Mexico ever won the Copa America?
Answer: Mexico has qualified for ten times for the Copa America, placing second in 1993 and third in 2001. They return in 2024 having been selected as one of the six CONCACAF countries.
Q3: Which country has never won Copa America?
Answer: In the 47 tournament stagings since the event’s inception in 1916, eight of the ten CONMEBOL national teams have emerged victorious, with Ecuador and Venezuela being the only teams still to have notched a victory.
Q4: Has Venezuela ever won the World Cup?
Answer:
Venezuela is the only CONMEBOL team that has never made it to the World Cup finals, thanks to Ecuador’s 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification. Nonetheless, the team is now acknowledged as fierce rivals and is no longer viewed as soft targets.
Q5: Who won Copa America more than 8 times?
Answer: Both Argentina and Uruguay have been the most successful teams in Copa America and won it 15 times each.
