INT Copa América

[TXT]

The Copa América (Spanish and Portuguese for "America Cup"), is an international association football competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of CONMEBOL, the sport's continental governing body.

The current tournament format involves 12 teams competing at venues in a host nation over a period of about a month. The confederation has only ten members, so national teams from other FIFA confederations are invited to fill the other 2 places; Mexico and the United States had been regular since being invited for the first time in 1993. In 42 tournaments, seven national teams have won the title. Argentina and Uruguay have won the Copa América a record 14 times each. Brazil, the current champion, have won eight titles, and Paraguay and Peru are next with two titles each. The other former champions are Colombia and Bolivia, with one title each.

The Copa América is one of the world's most widely viewed sporting events. The highest finishing member of CONMEBOL has the right to participate in the next edition of the FIFA Confederations Cup, but is not obligated to do so.

Format and rules

The tournament was previously known as sup Campeonato Sudamericano de Selecciones (South American Championship of National Teams). South American Championship of Nations was the official English language name. The current name has been used since 1975. Between 1975 and 1983 it had no host nation, and was held in a home and away fashion. The current final tournament features 12 national teams competing over a month in the host nation. There are two stages: the group stage followed by the knockout stage. In the group stage, teams compete within three groups of four teams each. Three teams are seeded, including the hosts, with the other seeded teams selected using a formula based on the FIFA World Rankings. The other teams are assigned to different "pots", usually based also on the FIFA Rankings, and teams in each pot are drawn at random to the three groups.

Each group plays a round-robin tournament, in which each team is scheduled for three matches against other teams in the same group. The last round of matches of each group is not scheduled at the same time unlike many tournaments around the world. The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage as well as the two best third-place teams. Points are used to rank the teams within a group. Beginning in 1995, three points have been awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss (before, winners received two points).

The ranking of each team in each group will be determined as follows:

a) greatest number of points obtained in all group matches;
b) goal difference in all group matches;
c) greatest number of goals scored in all group matches.

If two or more teams are equal on the basis of the above three criteria, their rankings will be determined as follows:

d) greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
e) goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned;
f) greater number of goals scored in all group matches between the teams concerned;
g) drawing of lots by the CONMEBOL Organising Committee (i.e. at random).

The knockout stage is a single-elimination tournament in which teams play each other in one-off matches, with penalty shootouts used to decide the winner if necessary; there is no extra time. It begins with the quarter-finals, then semi-finals, the third-place match (contested by the losing semi-finalists), and the final.

Trophies

Two trophies are awarded at the end of the competition: the Copa América is given to the winner, while the Copa Bolivia is awarded to the runner-up. The Copa América trophy, which is awarded to the winner of the Copa América tournament, was donated to CONMEBOL by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina in 1916. The prestigious laurel was obtained from a jewelry shop in Buenos Aires at the cost of 3,000 Swiss francs. The trophy is a silver ornament with wooden base which contains several plaques. The plaques are engraved with every winner of the competition, as well as the edition won.

Teams reaching the top four

General statistics

 

[TXT]

Argentina elak silap langkah

BUENOS AIRES – Tuan rumah, Argentina mahu memulakan kempen Copa America 2011 dengan langkah kanan apabila bertemu Bolivia pada aksi sulung Kumpulan A pagi ini.

Ia merupakan pentas terbaik buat Argentina menamatkan kemarau kejuaraan mereka pada kejohanan tersebut setelah hampir dua dekad.

Daripada aspek positif, Argentina telah menjuarai saingan Sukan Olimpik buat dua kali berturut-turut dan mereka bakal diperkuatkan dengan bintang terbaik dunia, Lionel Messi.

Namun daripada sudut negatif, para pemain senior Argentina dilihat bergelut untuk layak ke Piala Dunia 2010 dan akhirnya skuad kendalian Diego Maradona ketika itu tersungkur di peringkat suku akhir.

Saingan Copa America 2011 bakal menjadi pentas baharu bola sepak Argentina selepas ‘era Maradona’ apabila mereka kini dikendalikan jurulatih Sergio Batista.

Kali terakhir Argentina menjuarai Copa America ialah pada 1993 menerusi dua jaringan Gabriel Batistuta untuk mengatasi Mexico pada aksi final, sekali gus memberikan kejuaraan terakhir buat mereka.

Justeru, kapten Argentina, Javier Mascherano berasakan inilah masa terbaik untuk mereka menamatkan kemarau kejuaraan tersebut.

“Kami beraksi di tempat sendiri. Ia ternyata bakal memberi kelebihan. Argentina perlu menang untuk kembali berada di kedudukan teratas.

“Memang sudah lama kami tidak menjulang trofi kejuaraan,” kata Mascherano.

Bintang Barcelona itu turut mengakui bahawa mereka mahu menyelesaikan tugas yang gagal disempurnakan pada Piala Dunia 2010 apabila tewas kepada Jerman.

“Kami kini mempunyai jurulatih yang berbeza dan majoriti skuad juga telah dirombak. Ini kumpulan pemain yang baharu dengan cita-cita baharu untuk dicapai,” jelas Mascherano. – AFP

 

[kuca_lana]

Argentina 1 Bolivia 1

 

[luppi]

Masa ni la kita nk tgk Messi menyerlah ke tak bersama Argentina..

WC thn lepas bole dimaafkan lg..

 

[TXT]

best tgk Copa America ni

 

[kuca_lana]

goal keeper boliivia boleh tahan gak...
defend argentina x best...

 

[TXT]

goal keeper boliivia boleh tahan gak...
defend argentina x best...

kalo ada highlight game tu abe kuca tepek la sini

 

[tsf]

After taking a shocking lead in the second half thanks to a clever goal by Edivaldo Rojas, substitute Sergio Aguero fired home a cracking volley 15 minutes from time as Argentina salvaged a 1-1 draw with Bolivia in the opening game of the Copa America.

"We played in Argentina with a lot of grit, a lot of personality," Rojas said.

An uninspiring effort by the home side in the first half was dampened by Rojas' goal three minutes into the second half. Aguero, after a few minutes on the field, saved Argentina from more embarrassment, drilling home a volley in the box after Nicolas Burdisso chested it at the far post.

"It's the first game - every game is going to be difficult," Aguero said. "Bolivia did well defensively. The important thing is that we didn't lose."

Two years and three months after falling to Bolivia 6-1 in World Cup Qualifying, the host nation could not down its neighbors to the north on a frigid night in La Plata.

The home side started off the game with the majority of the possession, looking to go right at the Bolivia defense.

For the first 30 minutes, both teams were plagued offensively by numerous fouls in the centre of the field.

Argentina were the better side in the early going, playing through Ever Banega up the middle, who found Lionel Messi several times to start the attack.

Looking to play through Carlos Tevez on the left as well, the home side could not break through the last line of the defense to scare goalkeeper Carlos Arias. Ezequiel Lavezzi and Tevez both had a couple chances from odd angles inside the box, but could not convert.

The 15 remaining minutes of the opening half passed with Argentine players showing their frustration at the 0-0 scoreline. Bolivia remained poised for the first 45 minutes, not making many mistakes.

Esteban Cambiasso, Javier Mascherano and Banega, all who tend to be more defensive, forced Messi to return to midfield to look for the ball as failure in the connection between the midfielders and forwards hurt the host nation in the opening half.


Argie 1 Bolivia 1

 

[hornarq]

kalo ada highlight game tu abe kuca tepek la sini

ada jadual perlawanan x?
pukul brp diorg lawan?#:-S

 

[TXT]

kuat gak la bolivia ni
ley seri ngan argie