Forlan scored twice, Uruguay won the Copa America for the 15th time

Uruguay became the new king of South America and set a new record for the number of Copa America titles when they won convincingly 3-0 against Paraguay in the final this morning, in which Forlan shone with a double.

Thus, after 12 months of winning the heroic fourth place at the 2010 World Cup, Uruguay continued to make an impressive feat with the South American championship. They surpassed Argentina to become the team with the most tradition in Copa America with 15 titles (Argentina 14 times, Brazil 8 times).

Uruguay’s victory somewhat saved a disappointing Copa for the “big guys”, when the two strongest candidates Argentina and Brazil both left the game right in the quarterfinals. Paraguay, the team that has not won a single match in this Copa but still present in the final, could not resist the strength of Uruguay with its versatile attack.

Uruguay becomes new champion of South America

Luis Suarez, who was voted Player of the Tournament, put Uruguay ahead in the 12th minute with a powerful left-footed shot into the far corner. The early lead allowed Celeste to take the initiative and completely dominate Paraguay.

Forlan, the 2010 World Cup Player of the Year, ended a long period of “silence” for the national team with a double at the end of each half. The Atletico Madrid striker equaled Hector Scarone’s record of 31 goals for the national team and has a great chance to become the best scorer in Uruguay’s history.

Returning to the main events of the final, Uruguay, considered the “top dog”, did not hesitate to attack and put pressure right after the opening whistle. In the 3rd minute, Suarez caused trouble in front of Paraguay’s goal with a shot in the penalty area, forcing goalkeeper Villar to push the ball away. The Paraguay goalkeeper continued to show his talent to block Lugano’s header in the corner kick situation that followed.

Without having to wait long, Uruguay's advantage was soon materialized with the opening goal in the 12th minute thanks to Suarez. The striker currently playing for Liverpool received the ball in the penalty area, feinted with his right foot before finishing with his left foot into the far corner. The ball lightly touched the Paraguayan defender's foot before hitting the far post and going into the net. This was Suarez's 4th goal in this tournament, 1 goal less than the achievement of "Top scorer" Paolo Guerrero (Peru).

Having taken an early lead, the Uruguayan players played with a relaxed spirit and completely dominated Paraguay. The Suarez - Forlan duo were very active and understood each other very well, constantly causing difficulties for the Paraguayan defense. In the 32nd minute, Suarez turned and passed the ball beautifully for Forlan to enter the penalty area but goalkeeper Villar came out very quickly to block.

Towards the end of the first half, Uruguay continued to put pressure and after consecutive attacks, Celeste doubled the gap. In the 42nd minute, taking advantage of a mistake in Paraguay's defense, Arevalo passed the ball down to Forlan, who finished with his left foot into the Paraguayan net from inside the penalty area.

After the break, Paraguay tried to push forward in search of a goal and created a few chances but were unsuccessful. Most notably, Valdez's powerful shot forced goalkeeper Muslera to push the ball off the crossbar.
With a two-goal lead, Uruguay took the initiative to slow down and play defensive counter-attacks in the second half. The outcome of the match was decided in the 90th minute after a perfect combination of the trio Cavani - Suarez - Forlan. Winning 3-0, Uruguay won the Copa America for the first time since 1995 and became the South American champion for the 15th time.

Line-up

Uruguay:Muslera, Pereira, Lugano, Coates, Caceres (Diego Godin, 88') - Gonzalez, Perez (Eguren 69'), Rios, Pereira (Cavani 63') - Forlan, Suarez.
Paraguay:Villar, Piris, Veron, Da Silva, Marecos - Ortigoza, Riveros, Careces (Perez 64'), Vera (Estigarribia 64'), Valdez, Zeballos (Barrios 76').

According to Dan Tri