Bolivia’s Jhasmani Campos just scored the best goal of the Copa América Centenario.
In a tournament featuring Messi, Alexis Sánchez, and other well-known goleadores, the Bolivian – who recently played in Kuwait – stole the show with a perfectly placed free kick with his left foot. The shot had an incredibly high difficulty level as the angle seemed to make a cross a better option. Not to mention that Barcelona’s Claudio Bravo might be the best goalkeeper in the tournament.
A few minutes later as Chile pushed to retake the lead, Bolivian goalkeeper Carlos Lampe provided heroics at the other end by making one of the best saves of the tournament to deny Sánchez.
Bolivians have a lot to be proud of, including the collective defensive performance. The players seemed willing to sacrifice their bodies for the cause, as evidenced by a goal-line clearance in the first half and Ronald Eguino also suffered a possible concussion after being kicked in the head when he tried to prevent a bicycle kick.
And then, because soccer is cruel AF, the referee awarded Chile a dubious (at best) penalty that Arturo Vidal tucked away for the win.
Much respect, Bolivia.
If you’re a Copa America fan in NYC, be sure to RSVP for Remezcla’s ultimate Copa America pre-final party on June 25th. RSVP here for entry.