Northern American giants USA clinched their spot in the Copa America semi-finals after beating Ecuador 2-1 on Thursday night.
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Former Tottenham Hotspur attacker Clint Dempsey was the hero of the on the night, scoring the opening goal and then setting up a second against the South American opposition.
The USA took the lead in the 22nd minute, when a cross from Jermaine Jones picked out Dempsey in the box, who fired home.
Ecuador began the second half as the better side and probably should have equalised when Antonio Valencia flicked on a header for Enner Valencia, but the latter could not get his diving header on target.
The game turned on its head a few minutes later when both Jones and Antonio Valencia were sent off after a bizarre sequence of events.
Valencia kicked out at Alejandro Bedoya to pick up his second yellow, before Jones was shown a straight red for apparently punching an Ecuadorian player.
The USA managed to fire home their second goal in the 65th minute, when a Dempsey pass was tapped in by Gyasi Zardes.
Ecuador did not back down after that, though, and scored when a free-kick from Walter Ayovi set up Arroyo to blast home a ferocious shot from outside the area in the 74th minute.
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That was the final strike of the match, however, and USA will now face the winner between Argentina and Venezuela next Tuesday.
Are you surprised by USA's progression in the Copa? Have your say in the comments section below.
