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Mexico and Uruguay faced off in a Copa America warm-up match in Denver, USA, on Wednesday, but the focus quickly shifted from the game itself to the chaotic scenes off the pitch that unfortunately spilled onto it.
Tottenham’s Rodrigo Bentancur featured for Uruguay as they took on Mexico in this friendly encounter ahead of their Copa America campaign, which kicks off on June 21. The match highlighted a stark contrast in preparation between the two teams.
Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez was in top form, scoring a hat-trick, while Manchester United’s Facundo Pellistri added another goal as Uruguay dominated Mexico, winning 4-0. However, Uruguay’s strong performance under Marcelo Bielsa was overshadowed by the disruptive behavior of some Mexican fans.
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The game was marred by two major incidents involving the crowd. First, with Mexico trailing 4-0, the referee halted the match in the 54th minute due to disruptive behavior, reportedly stemming from alleged homophobic chants. After restoring order, play resumed, but the chaos was far from over.
In the 89th minute, just after Bentancur was substituted, a number of spectators invaded the pitch, prompting the referee to end the match prematurely. With the outcome already decided, the friendly was brought to an early close.
What should have been a headline-grabbing performance by Nunez was instead tainted by the unruly actions of some supporters, casting a shadow over an otherwise dominant display by Uruguay and highlighting the need for better crowd control measures in future matches.