Uruguayan Press Recognizes Chile as Fair Winner of Copa America

The Uruguayan press recognized Chile as the rightful winner of the Copa America and celebrated that the Uruguayans remain the most successful team in the continental tournament. "Thank you Chile!" stated 'El Pais', Uruguay's highest-circulation newspaper, one day after Chile defeated Argentina in the final on penalties.

"With this title, Chile has joined the list of winners and now only Ecuador and Venezuela are the South American teams that haven't won the tournament. (...) Chile rewrote history last night at the National Stadium in Santiago, and Uruguay remains the 'King of Cups,' the most successful team with 15 victories," they added.

Uruguay's elimination at the hands of Chile in the quarter-finals, in a match full of controversies, caused anger among Uruguayan fans. In the final, many Uruguayan supporters were rooting for Lionel Messi's Argentina as punishment for the hosts.

Despite that, the Uruguayan press recognized Chile as the best team in the final. The newspaper "La Republica" wrote that "against the World Cup runner-up and with the best player in the world in front, Chile accomplished the feat," and Argentina "sank into bitterness as they have gone 22 years without winning an official title."

THE FACT: Chile had never won a Copa America in its history before.