[Source: Reuters]

Uruguay beat Canada on penalties in the Copa America third-place playoff match on Saturday after Luis Suarez scored a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Rodrigo Bentancur also scored in regulation time for Uruguay, while Jonathan David and Ismael Kone scored for Canada, who finished fourth in their Copa America debut.

Canada’s Ismael Kone had a tame spot-kick saved by goalkeeper Sergio Rochet and Canadian defender Alphonso Davies hit the crossbar as Uruguay won the shootout 4-3.

Suarez and Bentancur also converted their penalty kicks in the shootout.

In the first half, Bentancur swivelled and smashed home a knock-down from a corner to give Uruguay the lead in the eighth minute, but Kone scored with an acrobatic scissor kick to level the scores 14 minutes later.

Right after Canada’s goal, Uruguay had a break and Facundo Pellistri slotted his right-footed shot into the bottom corner, but Maximiliano Araujo was deemed to be offside in the build-up and the goal was disallowed.

Canada went ahead in the 80th minute when Kone unleashed a long-range shot that Rochet parried, before Jonathan David pounced to slot home the rebound.

Uruguay pressed for an equaliser and Canada goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair made a huge save on Suarez’s close-range left-foot effort seconds before the equaliser.

Their pressure paid off when all-time leading goalscorer Suarez timed his run perfectly in the 92nd minute to get on the end of a Jose Maria Gimenez pass and score his 69th international goal to force a penalty shootout.