Peru clip Mexico 1-0 in Copa America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP):

Chile and Uruguay confirmed on Friday they are contenders to win the Copa America.

For that matter, so did Peru, who are usually considered one of the also-ran teams in South America.

Alexis Sanchez, who has been linked to a move from Italian club Udinese to a number of top European clubs including Barcelona, scored the equaliser in Chile's 1-1 draw against Uruguay.

In the later Group C match, Paolo Guerrero scored a late goal to lift Peru over a second-string Mexico 1-0.

Chile, who reached the second round of the World Cup under Marcelo Bielsa, have a new coach in Claudio Borghi but are still playing the same kind of exciting football with most of the same players.

Uruguay did even better in South Africa, reaching the semi-finals; the best performance of any Latin American team. They are also fielding most of the same talent, including star forwards Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez, the latter of which set up Alvaro Pereira's 54th-minute opener.

Possibilities

"Each of these teams showed they have possibilities in this tournament,'' Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez said.

Chile and Peru each have four points, Uruguay, two, and Mexico, zero. The group finishes on Tuesday when Chile plays Peru and Uruguay face Mexico. The top two teams from each of the three groups will reach the quarter-finals, along with the two best third-place teams.

Peru dominated the second half against Mexico but some sharp goalkeeping and narrow misses kept the game scoreless until Guerrero finally broke through in the 83rd minute.

After a lifeless first half, Peru had a half-dozen clear scoring chances in the second half but hit the post twice and saw several shots saved by outstanding Mexico goalkeeper Luis Michel.

"This team fights to the end,'' Peru defender Santiago Acasiete said. "We are growing and today was an important result.''