NEW JERSEY, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Darwin Nunez extended his rich vein of form as Uruguay secured a place in the Copa America knockout phase on Thursday with a 5-0 victory of Bolivia.
Facundo Pellistri gave the Celeste a perfect start at MetLife Stadium by nodding home from close range in the eighth minute after Ronald Araujo's headed cross.
Nunez doubled the lead as he ran onto Maximiliano Araujo's through ball and lashed a first-time effort past goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra. The Liverpool striker now has 10 goals in his past seven international appearances.
Araujo then latched onto Nicolas de la Cruz's perfectly weighted pass by slotting a shot that ricochetted in off Viscarra's legs.
Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde made it 4-0 by expertly directing the ball into the bottom-left corner after Pellistri's cross from the right side of the penalty area.
Rodrigo Bentancur, an 86th-minute replacement for Valverde, completed the rout when he headed home at the far post after Giorgian de Arrascaeta's floating cross from the left flank.
Uruguay is now guaranteed a berth in the quarterfinals while Bolivia will be eliminated, irrespective of the result of the team's last group match against Panama on Monday.
Earlier, Panama kept alive its hopes of reaching the Copa America's last eight with a 2-1 victory over the United States in Atlanta. ■
