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• Reggae Boyz eye first Copa America win against Ecuador

  As Jamaica’s senior Reggae Boyz eye their pivotal Copa America clash against Ecuador, Head Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson has expressed a blend of cautious optimism and strategic focus, as they chase history in the Group B fixture at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, on Wednesday.

  The 53rd-ranked Jamaicans are hunting their first goal, first point and, by extension, first victory in three appearances at the prestigious CONMEBOL tournament, a feat they will be hoping to achieve against the 30-ranked Ecuadorians to bounce back from a 0-1 defeat to Mexico in their opening fixture.

  Kickoff is 7:30pm Jamaica time.

  A victory would keep Hallgrimsson’s side in the hunt for one of the top two spots to the knockout stage. However, that is easier said than done, and despite their gallant effort against Mexico in Saturday’s defeat, Ecuador represents a different challenge, one which Hallgrimsson knows they can by no means scoff at even though their opponents also suffered a 1-2 loss to Venezuela in their opening encounter.

  

  “It's going to be a tough match. Really a tough match,” Hallgrimsson stressed.

  “They (Ecuador) came into this group for the media as favorites and have done brilliant in terms of their results prior to the tournament. A tough team to beat is a tough team to play against, and like I said, they have managed to get good results against the biggest teams in South America, and it's always low scoring matches. They conceded two goals, against Venezuela, but this was after they had been playing one man down for close to 50 minutes,” he noted.

  “So the reason why Venezuela scored two goals was probably down to fatigue, and we need to be aware of that. We cannot go all in and concede a goal because it's difficult to get back against a team like Ecuador and Venezuela. So we need to be careful, but we need to be brave as well at the same time. It needs to be a calculated risk that we take,” the Icelandic coach added.

  Though Jamaica and Ecuador have crossed swords in international friendlies on four occasions, this will be their first Copa America meeting. It should be noted that Jamaica has never defeated Ecuador, which means Wednesday’s contest takes on added significance for Hallgrimsson’s side to possibly achieve two significant milestones in one go.

  

  But, again, that is easier said than done, as in their four meetings to date, Ecuador has won three, while the other ended in a stalemate. The last encounter between the two, in 2018, ended 2-0 in favour of the South Americans.

  Across those four games, Jamaica has only scored three goals, while Ecuador tallied nine. With all the stats lining up against the Boyz, Hallgrimsson highlighted the importance of maintaining a balanced approach.

  “We had a good game against Mexico the players performed well, but we just didn’t win. We are the underdogs in the group so we just want to show the same performance against Ecuador and see what it brings us. Hopefully it will bring us three points, but certainly we want to build on the performance against Mexico because we really are doing everything to stay in this tournament, I believe we have the squad to do that and so that is the focus,” Hallgrimsson declared.

  Despite his familiarity with Ecuadorian counterpart Felix Sanchez, Hallgrimsson pointed out that it offers very little comfort.

  

  “I know Felix so I know what kind of football they will play, and of course we have analysed them really well. They are really aggressive and physical and they have a strong midfield, but I think it’s the energy and commitment of this Ecuador team that is going to be the trickiest thing for us. Like I said they lost their first game as well which puts them under pressure so I know they are going to be more intense against us,” he opined.

  Still, the tactician expressed delight that the Boyz are in high spirit with every player eager to give their best.

  “Everybody's fit and ready, and that's a good sign. Normally, the first game causes some injuries after a long break for some players, but everybody's fresh. Everybody wants to play big games for Jamaica, so everybody's fighting for a spot in the team, and that's a good and healthy sign for us,” Hallgrimsson ended. 

• Balance key for Argentina as Martinez states his case with Chile winner

  Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni will prioritise balance throughout the Copa America, with Lautaro Martinez pushing for a start after scoring twice from the bench.

  Having come on to add Argentina's second goal in a 2-0 win over Canada last week, Martinez struck an 88th-minute winner in Tuesday's 1-0 victory over Chile.

  Martinez's three competitive goals off the bench for Argentina are more than any other player has managed for the team since his international debut in 2018.

  The Inter man's impact has led to suggestions he could edge out Julian Alvarez to start alongside Lionel Messi, but Scaloni will select his number nine on a game-by-game basis.

  "Lautaro and Julian have played together," Scaloni said. "There's always the need for balance. 

  "Lautaro is very happy today, and Julian is too. I will always choose the one that I think is best suited for that match.

  "Today Julian played, but we have 11 players. We have to balance the gameplan.

  "Sometimes there might be a disruption of that balance for any reason, but usually, I like playing with a good structure. We will be making choices throughout the tournament."

  Argentina have secured their place in the quarter-finals with a game to spare and will top Group A if they avoid defeat against Peru on Saturday.

  Despite overseeing a perfect start to the Albiceleste's title defence, Scaloni has been questioned for not calling upon Alejandro Garnacho, who has been an unused substitute in both matches after enjoying a breakout campaign with Manchester United.

  "We would love to see him because he is young and he is a fresh player," Scaloni said of the winger. 

  "Sometimes we think that given the match, we could send him in. But then as the match evolves, we think maybe it is not the right match.

  "Hopefully when we give the young players the opportunity, they will be able to seize it."

• Chile 0-1 Argentina: Super sub Martinez sends La Albiceleste through to Copa America quarter-finals

  Lautaro Martinez struck a dramatic late winner as Argentina beat Chile 1-0 to secure their place in the Copa America knockout stages with a game to spare.

  The reigning champions looked like they would have to settle for a point on a frustrating night at the MetLife Stadium, having failed to turn their superiority into the game's opening goal.

  But substitute Martinez, who also netted from the bench in his nation's opener against Canada, finally broke Chile's resolve when he lashed home two minutes from time.

  It moved Lionel Scaloni's side onto six points at the Group A summit - three points ahead of Canada, who beat Peru 1-0 earlier in the day - meaning a draw against Peru in their final game will be enough to secure top spot.

  Argentina dominated the first half with 13 unanswered shots, yet just three of those were on target. One of them saw Julian Alvarez fire straight at Claudio Bravo from close range in the 22nd minute.

  Lionel Messi also went close to scoring in the 36th minute. La Albiceleste's skipper let fly with a fizzing 25-yard attempt that clipped the outside of Bravo's left post, while Erick Pulgar almost turned Nahuel Molina's cross beyond the Chile goalkeeper two minutes later.

  La Roja had Bravo to thank for keeping Argentina at bay, as the reigning champions continued to carry the greater attacking threat after the break.

  The veteran stopper beat away Molina's fierce strike within five minutes of the restart, and just after the hour mark, he produced a superb reflex save to tip Nicolas Gonzalez's drive onto the crossbar.

  With the breakthrough still eluding the world champions, Scaloni bolstered his attack by introducing Angel Di Maria and Martinez for the final 17 minutes.

  Chile had increased their own attacking threat by registering their first attempts on goal in the contest, with Rodrigo Echeverria calling Emiliano Martinez into action on both occasions.

  Yet, there was to be a late twist in Argentina's favour when an 88th-minute corner broke kindly for Martinez, who reacted the quickest to fire into the roof of the net and send La Albiceleste through to the quarter-finals.

  Persistence pays dividends for Argentina

  The recent history books would suggest Argentina should fancy their chances against Chile.

  This is epitomised by the fact they are now unbeaten after 90 minutes in the last 13 meetings, winning eight of those, but that does not tell the full story.

  Seven of those eight victories have only been by a single-goal margin and, of course, they lost on penalties in the Copa America final showdowns of 2015 and 2016.

  Though they dominated most of this contest and registered 22 shots to their opponents' three, just the one goal was enough once more - with both of Martinez's strikes from the bench in this competition coming in the 88th minute.

  Argentina progress to the Copa America knockout stages for a 14th consecutive time, excluding when they withdrew from the 2001 tournament.

  Toothless La Roja resistance finally broken

  Chile looked set to frustrate Argentina once again at the Copa America, and hold out for a second successive clean sheet.

  Their defensive resolve - along with an inspired performance by Bravo between the sticks - looked like it would remain firm and keep the reigning champions at bay, until Martinez's late intervention.

  What will be more concerning for La Roja is the fact they have now gone four successive Copa America matches without scoring, while having to wait until the 72nd minute for their first attempt on goal today.

  That is something they need to address quickly ahead of their crucial final Group A clash with Canada, in which a victory could still see them snatch second place and a quarter-final spot.