Peru were shock 3-0 winners over Uruguay while Bolivia came from behind twice in a 2-2 draw with hosts Venezuela in a dramatic opening to the Copa America on Tuesday.
Venezuela also had a penalty turned down in injury-time as the tournament began under the watchful eye of President Hugo Chavez, the self-styled leftist revolutionary.
Chavez, flanked by Diego Maradona on one side and his close ally President Evo Morales of Bolivia on the other, was in San Cristobal to watch the official opening ceremony and Venezuela's first match.
"Today, nobody will lose, we will all win, because this is the same country, our South America, our America," said Chavez, who has warned of a plot by his opponents to sabotage the tournament.
Although the official opening ceremony took place before the Venezuela-Bolivia game, the tournament had already got under way with Peru's upset win over Uruguay at the Metropolitano Stadium in Merida.
Jefferson Farfan, Claudio Pizarro and Paolo Guerrero, Peru's impressive attacking trio, were the catalyst for their team's destruction of the Uruguayan defence in the opening match of Group A.
Miguel Villalta headed Peru into the lead in the 27th minute from a Farfan cross before substitute Juan Carlos Marino surprised Uruguay keeper Fabian Carini when he whipped in the second in the 73rd minute.
Guerrero completed the unlikely Incas triumph when he tapped in the third following good work by Andres Mendoza, but the goal was missed by millions of television viewers as Venezuelan networks had cut to the opening ceremony without any warning.
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Venezuela president Hugo Chavez, right, Bolivian president Evo Morales, centre,
and Diego Maradona, during the Copa America opening ceremony [EPA] |
Meanwhile in San Cristobal, Venezuela led twice through goals from Giancarlo Maldonado in the 21st minute and Richard Paez in the 56th, but an own goal by Alejandro Cichero pulled Bolivia level at halftime and Juan Carlos Arce equalised just seven minutes from the end.
The hosts claimed a penalty when Jorge Vargas was upended by Gualberto Mojica in injury-time, but a goal kick was awarded, with a series of previous missed opportunities costing Venezuela only their second win in the tournament's history.