Venezuela and Paraguay Share The Spoils

By Gordon Fleetwood, writing from New York City

In a match that produced a lot of smoke but little fire, Paraguay and Venezuela played out a tame draw. Venezuela should be happy about a well-earned point in their first game. Uruguay, on the other hand, will be ruing the missed chances in a game that they largely dominated.

There was a constant ebb and flow early in the game, as both teams struggled for dominance. Uruguay eventually came out on top, and began to run the game. Venezuela reacted by withdrawing into a shell. Uruguay had most of the possession, but achieved little with it. Wastefulness combined with Venezuela’s defensive aptitude saw to that. Venezuela were far more efficient with their possession, as they looked to counter quickly. Their attacks focused down the left where their danger-men, Yohandry Orozco and Jose Reyes, lay in wait. It was no surprise that these two were involved when Venezuela broke the deadlock. Reyes’ glided in from the wing, before unleashing a shot that squirmed under the goalkeeper’s body to give his team the lead against the run of play. Uruguay reacted strongly as their offense stepped it up a notch. Marauding left back and captain, Diego Polenta, led the attack. He almost tied the game with a superb strike which flew centimeters above the crossbar. However, as much as they huffed and puffed, Uruguay couldn’t not blow the Vinotinto house down. The half ended with Venezuela clutching their slender lead.

(Source: matchcentre)