LA SERENA, Chile — Argentina's dreams of a first major title in 22 years were given a reality check Saturday as Paraguay came from behind to snatch a last-gasp 2-2 draw in a Copa America classic. English Premier league star Sergio Aguero and captain Lionel Messi looked to have put Argentina on the road to a routine victory in Group B after firing the tournament favorite into a 2-0 first-half lead. But a long-range strike from Nelson Valdez hauled Paraguay back into the contest before Argentine-born forward Lucas Barrios grabbed a dramatic 90th-minute equalizer. The stunning comeback left Argentina in shock and could complicate their route through the knockout rounds in Chile. “It is a sin,” to give away an equalizer in the final minute, Argentina coach Gerardo Martino said afterward, lambasting his team's “neglect.” Argentina, runner-up in the World Cup final last year, is aiming to win their first major tournament since victory in the 1993 Copa America. It now faces a crucial second match Tuesday against holder Uruguay, which struggled to impress in a lackluster 1-0 win over Caribbean minnows Jamaica earlier Saturday. Uruguay, the defending champion, badly missed its suspended striker Luis Suarez, who is still serving a ban for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup. La Celeste captain Diego Godin demanded improvement Saturday after a solitary goal from Cristian Rodriguez saved their blushes against the Reggae Boyz. Uruguay barely created a chance against Jamaica, one of two teams from the North America, Central America and Caribbean zone (CONCACAF) invited to take part in the Copa America, along with Mexico. Uruguay finally broke the deadlock seven minutes after the break with a cleverly worked set-piece routine. Boca Juniors midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro floated a free-kick from wide on the left for defender Jose Maria Gimenez, who lost his marker to head back into the area for Rodriguez, on loan with Brazilian side Gremio from Atletico Madrid, to finish. Penalties decide 3 matches The pressure of knockout soccer reared its head at the under-20 World Cup in New Zealand Sunday with three of the four quarterfinals decided by penalty shootouts. Brazil, Mali and Serbia all advanced to the semifinals courtesy of nerve-shredding shootouts, as heavyweights Portugal, Germany and the United States all crashed out. Only Senegal sealed a result inside the 90 minutes following a 1-0 win over Uzbekistan in Wellington. It was the second successive match the Brazilians had won on penalties as it held its nerve to win 3-1 after it was lucky to escape with a tense 0-0 result against Portugal after extra time. Mali and strong favorite Germany had been locked at 1-1 after extra time before the African side prevailed 4-3 on spotkicks, while Serbia won 6-5 after its match against the US ended in a scoreless stalemate. Brazil had beaten Uruguay 5-4 on penalties in the round of 16 and coped with the pressure better than the Portuguese, who saw Raphael Guzzo, Andre Silva and Nuno Santos all miss from the spot in Hamilton. — Agencies
