HOUSTON, June 14: Jesus Manuel �Tecatito� Corona�s goal in the 80th minute gave Mexico a 1-1 tie against Venezuela on Monday night and first place in Group C of the Copa America while Abel Hernandez scored in the first half, Mathias Corujo added a late breakaway goal as Uruguay thrashed Jamaica 3-0 to snap a five-game Copa America winless streak.
Corona had missed several opportunities to score before he took on five defenders before firing off a shot from 10 yards to tie it and thrill the overwhelmingly pro-Mexico crowd.
By winning their group, El Tri avoids a quarterfinal matchup with Lionel Messi and tournament favourite Argentina. They�re likely headed for an easier matchup with Chile in the knockout round, leaving Venezuela to face mighty Argentina. Venezuela surprised Mexico with an early goal. The Vinotinto used a free kick to get it in the box, and Jose Manuel Velazquez gave Venezuela the lead in the 10th minute after taking an assist on a header from Christian Santos and volleying it in for the goal.
Venezuela had a chance to take the lead in the 84th minute, but goalkeeper Jose de Jesus Corona saved a bicycle kick shot by Josef Martinez.
Mexico has won 11 in a row and has a 22-game unbeaten streak, which is its longest unbeaten streak ever. Mexico is 9-1-0 since Juan Carlos Osorio took over for interim coach Ricardo Ferretti last fall. The team has scored 16 goals and allowed just two since he took over.
Monday marked the first time Venezuela had given up a goal in this tournament after Los Vinotintos were the surprise of the tournament by winning their first two games 1-0.
Venezuela goalkeeper Dani Hernandez came through again and again before Tecatito�s goal and even pulled off a double save in the 73rd minute. His play in the first two games left Venezuela as the only team in the tournament that hadn�t allowed a goal.
Mexico had a chance to tie it in the 49th minute, but Oribe Peralta could not get a foot on the ball from 5 yards off a short pass from Hirving Lozano. Another opportunity came in the 56th minute when Tecatito took a shot from 20 yards, but it sailed wide off the far post.
Uruguay thrash Jamaica: Both teams were ruled out of contention for the knockout stages after loses in their first two games. Uruguay took its first lead of the 2016 tournament in the 21st minute.
Nicolas Lodeiro slid a through ball between two defenders and Hernandez powered a shot into the top of the goal. It was just Uruguay�s second goal of the tournament.
Uruguay went ahead 2-0 in the 66th minute on Je-Vaughn Watson�s own goal.
Hernandez�s errant one-touch in front of the goal ricocheted off Watson�s right hand into the goal.
In the 88th, Corujo raced to win a glancing header of a long goal kick and he beat Jamaica goalkeeper Andre Blake in a one-on-one battle. � AP
