Lautaro Martinez's fine goalscoring form continued as he sealed top spot for Argentina in Group A, with a 2-0 victory over Peru, who were eliminated from the competition.
With Lionel Messi out due to a groin injury, the forward stepped up, scoring at the start and end of the second half to ease any nerves after a slow first 45 minutes at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Leandro Paredes' miss from the penalty spot did not prove costly as Peru failed to threaten in what was a must-win game.
Argentina will face the runner-up of Group B in their quarter-final, while Canada take second place in the group after their 0-0 draw with Chile, while Peru make an early exit.
With a place in the quarter-finals already secured, Argentina made a slow start to the game - Alejandro Garnacho's deflected curler was their only chance in the opening 25 minutes.
The goalkeeper was required to keep things level shortly after, getting a strong hand to stop Paredes' whipped free-kick from heading into the top-left corner.
Giovani Lo Celso was then picked out on the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time, but Gallese parried his first-time shot before Garnacho fired the rebound just over the crossbar.
The half-time team talk worked wonders for Argentina, as Angel Di Maria cut Peru's defence wide open by picking out Martinez, who deftly chipped the opener over Gallese just two minutes into the second half.
Nicolas Tagliafico thought he had doubled their tally moments later, poking over the line from a corner, but it was disallowed as Lo Celso was blocking the goalkeeper's view from an offside position.
Argentina had another chance to double their lead in the 69th minute, with Jesus Castillo penalised for a handball as he slid in to block Paredes' cross in the box, and the midfielder could not profit, rattling the inside of the post with a powerful spot-kick.
In an almost carbon copy of his first goal, Martinez raced in behind once again in the 86th minute and lifted a lovely effort over Gallese, who could not get a hand to it.
Franco Zanelatto almost salvaged some pride for La Blanquirroja in the dying moments, but his thumping header bounced off the near post and, agonisingly, along the face of goal.
Martinez retains golden touch
Though Argentina were already into the quarter-finals with a game to spare, it felt like they might not be at their best without talisman Messi and manager Lionel Scaloni, who was serving a touchline ban.
However, Martinez has stepped up in this tournament, scoring in all three of their group games as he leads the race for the Golden Boot with four goals to his name.
His first two strikes both came off the bench, with his late winner sending the Albiceleste into the knockout stages against Chile, and he made the most of his first start in the tournament with an early goal in the second half.
It is just the third time this century that Argentina have won all three of their group games - the last two times (2007, 2016) they finished as runners-up, but Scaloni will be hoping they can go one better and defend their title this time around.
Peru go out with a whimper
This year's Copa America has been a tournament to forget for Peru, who go out of the tournament with just one point to their name - it is the first time they have been eliminated without a single victory since 1995.
La Blanquirroja needed a win to have a chance of snagging second spot, with hope that Canada and Chile played out a draw in the other Group A game.
However, they managed just six shots in the game, creating an expected goals of 0.14, and finish the tournament with a meagre tally of 22 efforts from their three matches without hitting the back of the net.
It was always going to be a tough ask to get a win against the defending champions, even with all of their changes, but Peru's starting front three of Bryan Reyna, Paolo Guerrero and Edison Flores not managing a single shot did not make matters easier.
USA 0-1 Uruguay: Copa America hosts crash out as La Celeste reach last eight
USA crashed out of the Copa America following a 1-0 defeat by Uruguay, who advanced to the quarter-finals as Group C winners.
The defeat at Arrowsmith Stadium – coupled with Panama's 3-1 victory over bottom side Bolivia – culminated in the Stars and Stripes falling at the first hurdle in their own tournament.
Though both sides were generally lacking a creative spark in the final third, Mathias Olivera's 66th-minute strike was enough to seal the hosts' fate.
Meanwhile, Uruguay ensured a 100% record as they marched into the last eight, where a showdown with the Group D runners-up awaits them in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Each side lost a player to injury during a disjointed first half in Kansas City.
Uruguay's Maximiliano Araujo was stretchered off with suspected concussion following an aerial collision with Tim Ream in the 27th minute, while Folarin Balogun limped off for the hosts four minutes before the break.
The closest either team came to breaking the deadlock was on 33 minutes when a quickly taken Uruguay free-kick released Nahitan Nandez, whose clipped effort towards goal was cleared away by Ream.
Just after the hour mark, news filtered through from Orlando that Bolivia had equalised against Panama to move Gregg Berhalter's side back up to second place in Group C.
However, the joy was short-lived as a Uruguay free-kick saw Matt Turner parry Ronald Araujo's fierce header straight to Olivera, who just about stayed onside to tuck home the rebound from close range.
Panama regained their lead soon after to leave the Stars and Stripes needing two goals to stand any chance of progressing.
Christian Pulisic and Haji Wright both saw deflected efforts blocked on the line, but that was as close as the tournament hosts came to finding a route back into the contest, as their stubborn opponents held out to inflict the defeat that ended hopes of home glory.
Unblemished Uruguay make Copa America history
When it comes to the Copa America, you write Uruguay off at your peril.
After all, La Celeste have won the competition 15 times – the most recent of these triumphs coming in 2011. It is a tally only matched by reigning champions Argentina. They have also only failed to progress beyond the group stages once in the last 25 years (2016).
And for the first time in their history, Uruguay have now registered a 100% record in a single group stage, while they have also started a single campaign with three straight wins for the first time since 1959.
Marcelo Bielsa was serving a touchline ban, but will return to the dugout for the quarter-finals. Having led Argentina to the final of this competition in 2004, he would love to go the extra step with La Celeste two decades on and get his hands on this trophy.
Unwanted history for departing host nation
For the first time at an international tournament, USA have failed to advance from the group stage after winning their opening match, having progressed in each of the 23 previous instances.
Despite the defeat against Panama last time out, Berhalter stuck with continuity as his only change was an enforced one with Munus replacing the suspended Timothy Weah.
It meant 10 players had started all three group games for the Stars and Stripes in a major competition for only the fourth time (the feat also occurring at the 1950 World Cup, 1994 World Cup and 2016 Copa America).
Previously unbeaten against Uruguay, they had won their final group match at each of their last six tournaments.
However, their xG of 0.58 demonstrated the lacking of a clinical edge in the final third, with just three shots on target throughout the entire contest.
And despite the best efforts of the Kansas City crowd to rally the players, the hosts just could not get going, and you could not see a route back for them once they fell behind. That proved to be the case.
Portugal 0-0 Slovenia (aet, 3-0 pens): Ronaldo atones for penalty miss as Selecao inch through
Cristiano Ronaldo saw an extra-time penalty saved by Jan Oblak, but recovered to convert in the shoot-out as Portugal survived a huge scare to beat Slovenia on spot-kicks following a goalless draw in the last 16 at Euro 2024.
Ronaldo had a glorious opportunity to send Portugal through in the first half of extra time, but broke down in tears when his tame kick was repelled by the Atletico Madrid goalkeeper.
He had earlier missed chance after chance in regulation time as Slovenia – chiefly thanks to the efforts of Oblak – kept Roberto Martinez's team at bay to force spot-kicks.
However, he made no mistake with his second attempt from the spot, and Diogo Costa kept out all three Slovenia kicks from Josip Ilicic, Jure Balkovec and Benjamin Verbic.
The Selecao will now take on France for a spot in the semi-finals on Friday, while Slovenia's tournament is over despite a gallant effort in Frankfurt.
Both Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes were unable to get a touch on Bernardo Silva's inswinging cross as Portugal put Slovenia under pressure early on, the former also heading straight at Oblak when presented with another good chance 31 minutes in.
Oblak was then relieved to see Ronaldo send a dipping free-kick effort narrowly over the crossbar, before Joao Palhinha saw a low drive kiss the outside of the post on the stroke of half-time.
Ronaldo saw another free-kick beaten away by Oblak after the restart, before Benjamin Sesko squandered a huge chance on the break, dragging his shot wide after showing blistering pace to beat Pepe – now the oldest player to play in a World Cup or European Championship knockout match at 41 years and 126 days.
Ronaldo had one final chance to avoid extra time in the 89th minute, but Oblak stood firm to repel his left-footed strike at the near post, and keep Slovenia in the tie.
It was Oblak versus Ronaldo once again as the first half of extra time drew to a close, Daniele Orsato awarding a penalty when Jota was felled by Vanja Drkusic.
Ronaldo went for the bottom-right corner, but Oblak sprung across to make a brilliant stop and leave the five-time Ballon d'Or winner in tears at the interval.
It was then Costa's turn to produce the heroics at the other end, making a huge one-on-one save to deny Sesko following a mistake from Pepe to take the tie to penalties.
Costa was unbeatable in the shoot-out, too, keeping out all three Slovenia kicks, while Ronaldo atoned for his earlier miss by converting coolly with Portugal's first kick, before Fernandes and Bernardo Silva also converted as the Selecao edged through
Griezmann hits back at France criticism after booking quarter-final place
Antoine Griezmann hit back at media criticism after France progressed to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 with a 1-0 victory over Belgium.
Jan Vertonghen's 85th-minute own goal was enough to send Les Bleus into the last eight after another flat performance.
It was the second time that an own goal had given them a win at the tournament, after their opening victory over Austria.
Kylian Mbappe is the only Frenchman to score at the tournament, netting for the first time at the European Championships from the penalty spot against Poland, meaning France's wait for an open-play goal continues.
However, Griezmann was not happy when it was suggested that the scoreline was too low, or that he had made a sacrifice by switching out to the right of the front three.
"Don't p*** us off about a small score or something, we're in the quarters," Griezmann told BeIN Sports. "Big game defensively for the team. Without a great defence, you can't go far. It was another new system for us, we have to get used to it.
"I learned [about my position on the right] this morning. I'm at the service of the coach and the team. The coach told me to play here, I play here.
"No matter where I play, I'm going to give my all. [Didier Deschamps] knows where I like to play, but I'm always going to give everything for the team. This coach has confidence in me and I try to give it back to him."
Meanwhile, Adrien Rabiot was left to lament a first-half yellow card, his second booking of the tournament, which will see him miss the quarter-finals.
Despite his frustration, he was proud of the team for grinding out the win.
"It's a real relief with this goal," Rabiot told RMC. "We played a good match, we were solid.
"We have this ability to not concede a goal, to be very good at recovery. We know that it will only take one to put it in the net. It was the perfect match because with this goal at the end of the match, we broke their legs.
"I'm disgusted to have taken this yellow. I find that the refereeing at the start of the match was a little limited. But I have confidence in the guys on the bench, I will be behind them."
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