Monday, october 23nd, 2023.- The Uruguayan national football team defeated the Dominican Republic by a narrow margin in a match belonging to Group A (the same group as Chile) at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago.

In a tightly contested and somewhat physical match, the Uruguayan team managed to control the Central American opponents, who put up a good fight but couldn't prevent Emiliano Rodríguez from scoring the winning goal in the 35th minute.

"We didn't expect a match like this, tense, with many fouls, and where there was very little actual football played. We like to be a bit physical, and when we have to tackle, we know how to do it. Fortunately, we were able to pull off the game. We came here to play for the gold medal. We have a humble, supportive group, and we hope to reach the top," commented Rodrigo Piñeiro, one of the standout players for the "Celeste" in this match played at the Estadio Sausalito in Viña del Mar.

Regarding Uruguay's next match against Chile (Thursday, 26th, at 6:00 p.m. local time at the Estadio Elías Figueroa), Piñeiro, who plays in Chile representing local league Unión Española, mentioned, "I know almost all the Chilean players, especially (Alexander) Aravena, with whom I've exchanged shirts. It will be a very tough match, but we're going to win," he concluded.

Written by Marcelo López; translated by Andrés Castro / Photosport
Photo by Martin Thomas/Santiago 2023 via Photosport