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Mexico trounces Paraguay, advances in Copa

Team roles to 6-0 quarterfinal win, will play Argentina-Peru winner

Image: Cuauhtemoc BlancoAP
Mexico' s Cuauhtemoc Blanco a goal against Paraguay. Mexico advanced to the semifinals of the Copa America on Sunday.

MATURIN, Venezuela - Mexico took advantage of being a man up from the third minute to shut out Paraguay 6-0 to advance to the Copa America semifinals on Sunday.

Mexico will meet Argentina, which defeated Peru 4-0, on Wednesday. Uruguay will face Brazil on Tuesday in the other semifinal.

Paraguay lost goalkeeper Aldo Bobadilla when he was given a red card for a sliding tackle on Nery Castillo, setting up a penalty shot which the forward converted to the left of substitute Joel Zayas.

Zayas, Paraguay’s third-string goalkeeper, took the field in place of midfielder Jonathan Santana, denying the Paraguayans a key component of their attack.

Down one man, Paraguay struggled to regroup offensively and Mexico scored three goals in each half.

Mexico made it 2-0 on a driving shot from Gerardo Torrado in the 22nd minute. Castillo trapped a Juan Carlos Cacho pass with his chest and allowed one bounce before scoring in the 38th minute.

Castillo, whose two goals gave him four for the tournament, two less than leading scorer Robinho of Brazil, was replaced early in the second half but the rout continued.

Fernando Arce made it 4-0 in the 78th minute. Cuauhtemoc Blanco hit a penalty in the 87th, and replacement Omar Bravo headed in Jamie Lozano’s pass in injury time to cap the scoring.

After losing to the United States 2-1 in the final of the CONACAF Gold Cup, Mexico arrived in Venezuela missing key players — including career leading scorer Jared Borgetti — to injury.

Despite the injuries, Mexico upset Brazil 2-0 in its opener on its way to finishing undefeated atop Group B.

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Argentina used four second-half goals, including two by Juan Roman Riquelme, to bounce Peru.

Riquelme opened the scoring in the 47th minute as he muscled a left-footed shot past diving goalkeeper Leao Butron.

In the 61st minute, Riquelme sent a pass to Lionel Messi, who slipped the ball between Butron’s legs for a 2-0 lead.

In the 75th minute, Mascherano scored off a give-and-go play by Messi and Carlos Tevez. Riquelme had his fourth goal of the tournament in the 85th minute.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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