LA PLATA, Argentina, (Reuters) – World Cup semi-finalists Uruguay beat a young Mexico side 1-0 in the Copa America yesterday to set up a mouth-watering quarter-final clash with their River Plate rivals Argentina.
Alvaro Pereira scored the only goal of the match after 14 minutes, taking advantage of a deflection from a Diego Forlan free kick to bury the loose ball from close range.
The result means Uruguay leapfrog Peru to finish second in Group C behind Chile, and will face hosts Argentina in Santa Fe on Saturday.
Peru finish third in the group and also qualify for the quarter-finals, although they will have to wait until today to find out who they face next.
Mexico, who fielded an under-strength team at the Copa, exit the competition after losing all three group matches.