Nunez continues scoring streak as five-star Uruguay thrash Bolivia

Akhil Fisher

Nunez celebrates his seventh consecutive goal for UruguayAFP

Opening their Copa America account with consecutive victories for the first time since the turn of the century, Uruguay advanced into the knockout stages for a third straight campaign following a 5-0 thumping of Bolivia at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Although Darwin Nunez squandered the chance to bury a header within minutes of kick-off, Uruguay didn’t have to wait long to see another of their own succeed shortly after.

Picking up Ronald Araujo’s pass at point-blank range, Facundo Pellestri was at the right place at the right time to fire an easy header, leaving a helpless Guillermo Viscarra scratching his head.

Having conceded twice in the first half against USA, the story was no different for Bolivia this time as well, as Nunez made up for his earlier miss with a fantastic finish from inside the area into the far corner to put Marcelo Bielsa’s men comfortably in the driving seat midway through the half.

The Bolivians then made headway after back-to-back misses by Nunez, but fell short time and again in the face of a stubborn opposition.

They eventually closed the first period without finding the back of the net for the fifth straight match, while La Celeste’s appetite reflected in their tally, with the 15-time continental championship undefeated when in front at the interval since a 3-1 defeat to Costa Rica at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Bolivia sat back as Uruguay dominated the ball once again after the restart. Thankfully for Antonio Carlos Zago’s men, their opponents lacked the final touch that propelled them throughout the first period, with neither side registering a shot, let alone on target, as the final quarter-hour ensued.

That, however, changed in the blink of an eye.

Nicolas de la Cruz first fed Maximiliano Araujo with an inch-perfect pass for the latter to bury the ball with an untidy finish, before Federico Valverde unpacked a fantastic first-time effort into the bottom corner.

Uruguay netted once more as Rodrigo Bentancur scored an easy header from inside the six-yard box following a perfect set-piece delivery to cap a five-star performance.

Bolivia’s attempt to get a result against one of South America's most successful national teams ultimately proved fruitless, with the Uruguayans themselves claiming a fourth successive unbeaten outing in the process.

A 14th consecutive defeat in the competition means La Verde have now failed to progress past the group stages in nine of the last 10 Copa America tournaments, while Uruguay have progressed exactly nine times in as many editions.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Maximiliano Araujo (Uruguay)

Check out the match stats here