Friday's action in the Copa America 2011 saw a vital win for the Peruvians as they stamped their authority on virtually ousted Mexico (who have an outside chance of making it to the quarters as one of the two best third-placed teams) with a sturdy 1-0 win. Meanwhile, Chile fought back to claim a 1-1 draw against Uruguay courtesy an Alexis Sanchez equalizer.

In the first game of the evening, Peru put on a dominant display at the picturesque setting of Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza. Starting the sharper of the two sides, Peru utilized early possession well and carved a couple of half chances with Paolo Guerrero firing wide after getting into the box. Javier Aquino then had Mexico's first opportunity, seeing a close-range shot blocked after Rafael Marquez Lugo (not related to the former Barcelona defender) had worked out some space for him.

Costa Rica downed what was eventually a nine-man Bolivia side 2-0 to trump Argentina to occupy second place in Group A with qualification to the next round impinging on results in the final round of fixtures. The first-half was a bit of a dull affair with neither team able to furnish too many clear-cut chances, but Costa Rica broke the deadlock on the hour mark when Alan Guevera's rocket shot was parried into the path of 21-year old Saprissa forward Josue Martinez, who finished off with ease.

Another Saprissa striker in the Costa Rican side, 19-year old Joel Campbell's free kick was denied by the crossbar, however, the game truly slipped from Bolivia's grasp when they went a man down in the 70^th minute. Bolivia's chase of an equalizer was rendered near impossible when Rivero was adjudged to have deliberately stopped a goalbound effort with his arm. Half-time substitute Guevera stepped up to take the resulting penalty, only for goalkeeper Carlos Arias to save his effort. But 32-year old veteran midfielder Walter Flores was sent off in the 76th minute to effectively put the result beyond doubt.

Another goal-less draw in Wednesday's solitary fixture between Argentina and Colombia in the 2011 Copa America leaves the hosts in a dicey situation with just two points from two games while Colombia sit atop Group A with 4 points from two games. Argentina could go into their final game needing to win in order to qualify for the quarter-finals, if tonight's contest between Bolivia and Costa Rica sees a winner.

La Albiceleste coach Sergio Batista fielded an unchanged attack of Lavezzi, Messi and Tevez in a regular 4-3-3, however, there was a change at the back with the versatile Pable Zabaleta operating as left-back with young Spartak Moscow defender Marcos Rojo making way for him. Argentina started brightly and made the better use of the ball throughout the game, however, Colombia carved out the better chances despite getting men behind the ball for large periods of the tense encounter.

Monday's action in the Copa America saw Group C open with two intense encounters as Uruguay shared the spoils with Peru, while Chile surged ahead of the rest with a narrow come-from-behind win against Mexico.

The first encounter of the day took place in San Juan with joint record winners Uruguay facing a plucky Peru side. Uruguay fielded a 4-3-3 formation with the dangerous trio of Diego Forlan, Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani. However, the front three found it difficult to sustain rhythm and play according to defined roles, with Suarez and Forlan, blessed with the typical centre forward instincts, constantly making inside runs, reluctant to operate from the wings. It was Peru who instead got the break-through, somewhat against the run of play, as a swift counter attack was seen home by Paolo Guerrero in the 23rd minute, nicely rounding the keeper before slotting home. The goal somewhat stunned the Uruguayans into action with first Forlan coming close with a powerful free kick and then Luis Suarez grabbing the leveler right at the stroke of half time, his 18th strike for his country. Suarez ran at the heart of the defence, finding his way into the box, and finishing with great composure to set the honours even at the break.