1997 Copa América

The 1997 Copa America was the 38th edition of the Copa America. It was held in Bolivia from 11 to 29 June. It was organized by CONMEBOL, South America's football governing body.

1997 Copa América

Tournament details
Host country	Bolivia
Dates	11–29 June
Teams	12 (from 2 confederations)
Venue(s)	5 (in 5 host cities)
Final positions
Champions	Brazil (5th title)
Runners-up	Bolivia
Third place	Mexico
Fourth place	Peru
Tournament statistics
Matches played	26
Goals scored	67 (2.58 per match)
Attendance	456,020 (17,539 per match)
Top scorer(s)	Luis Hernández (6 goals)
Best player(s)	Ronaldo[1]
← 1995 1999 →

In this edition, Costa Rica and Mexico were the invited teams to bring up the total number of competing teams to 12.

The tournament was won by Brazil, who became the first team to hold the Copa América and the World Cup at the same time, a feat they would repeat in 2004.

Venues

La Paz	Santa Cruz	Cochabamba
Estadio Hernando Siles	Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera	Estadio Félix Capriles
Capacity: 51,000	Capacity: 42,000	Capacity: 36,000
Sucre	Cochabamba Oruro La Paz Santa Cruz Sucre
Estadio Olímpico Patria
Capacity: 29,000
Oruro
Estadio Jesús Bermúdez
Capacity: 28,000

Squads

For a complete list of participating squads: 1997 Copa América squads

Match officials

Argentina Horacio Elizondo Bolivia René Ortubé Juan Carlos Paniagua Brazil Antônio Pereira Chile Eduardo Gamboa Colombia Rafael Sanabria Costa Rica Rodrigo Badilla Ecuador Byron Moreno

Mexico Antonio Marrufo Paraguay Epifanio González Peru José Arana Uruguay Jorge Nieves United States Esfandiar Baharmast Venezuela Paolo Borgosano

Group stage

The teams were divided into three groups of four teams each. The formation of the groups was made by CONMEBOL, in a public drawing of lots that took place on 17 December 1996.

Each team plays one match against each of the other teams within the same group. Three points are awarded for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a defeat.

First and second placed teams, in each group, advance to the quarter-finals. The best third placed team and the second best third placed team, also advance to the quarter-finals.

• Tie-breaker
  • If teams finish leveled on points, the following tie-breakers are used:
  1. greater goal difference in all group games;
  2. greater number of goals scored in all group games;
  3. winner of the head-to-head match between the teams in question;
  4. drawing of lots.

Key to colors in group tables
	Group winners, runners-up, and best two third-placed teams advance to the quarter-finals

Group A

Main article: 1997 Copa América Group A

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Ecuador	3	2	1	0	4	1	+3	7
Argentina	3	1	2	0	3	1	+2	5
Paraguay	3	1	1	1	2	3	−1	4
Chile	3	0	0	3	1	5	−4	0

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

11 June 1997

Paraguay	1–0	Chile
Acuña 28'	Report

Estadio Félix Capriles, Cochabamba

Attendance: 15,000

Referee: René Ortubé (Bolivia)

11 June 1997

Ecuador	0–0	Argentina
	Report

Estadio Félix Capriles, Cochabamba

Attendance: 16,200

Referee: Jorge Nieves (Uruguay)

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14 June 1997

Paraguay	0–2	Ecuador
	Report	Sánchez 71' Graziani 86'

Estadio Félix Capriles, Cochabamba

Attendance: 5,000

Referee: Paolo Borgosano (Venezuela)

14 June 1997

Argentina	2–0	Chile
Berti 83' Gallardo 86'	Report

Estadio Félix Capriles, Cochabamba

Attendance: 6,000

Referee: Antônio Pereira (Brazil)

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17 June 1997

Chile	1–2	Ecuador
Vergara 52'	Report	Graziani 32' Gavica 55'

Estadio Félix Capriles, Cochabamba

Attendance: 7,000

Referee: Rafael Sanabria (Colombia)

17 June 1997

Paraguay	1–1	Argentina
Chilavert 73' (pen.)	Report	Gallardo 90' (pen.)

Estadio Félix Capriles, Cochabamba

Attendance: 8,000

Referee: Jorge Nieves (Uruguay)

Group B

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Bolivia (H)	3	3	0	0	4	0	+4	9
Peru	3	2	0	1	3	2	+1	6
Uruguay	3	1	0	2	2	2	0	3
Venezuela	3	0	0	3	0	5	−5	0

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
(H) Hosts

12 June 1997

Peru	1–0	Uruguay
Hidalgo 75'	Report

Estadio Olímpico Patria, Sucre

Attendance: 4,000

Referee: Antonio Marrufo (Mexico)

12 June 1997

Bolivia	1–0	Venezuela
Coimbra 60'	Report

Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz

Attendance: 11,000

Referee: Byron Moreno (Ecuador)

---

15 June 1997

Uruguay	2–0	Venezuela
Recoba 19' Saralegui 47'	Report

Estadio Olímpico Patria, Sucre

Attendance: 1,000

Referee: Eduardo Gamboa (Chile)

15 June 1997

Bolivia	2–0	Peru
Etcheverry 45' Baldivieso 50'	Report

Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz

Attendance: 15,000

Referee: Rodrigo Badilla (Costa Rica)

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18 June 1997

Peru	2–0	Venezuela
Cominges 13', 59'	Report

Estadio Olímpico Patria, Sucre

Attendance: 3,500

Referee: Byron Moreno (Ecuador)

18 June 1997

Bolivia	1–0	Uruguay
Baldivieso 29'	Report

Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz

Attendance: 30,000

Referee: Antonio Marrufo (Mexico)

Group C

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Brazil	3	3	0	0	10	2	+8	9
Mexico	3	1	1	1	5	5	0	4
Colombia	3	1	0	2	5	5	0	3
Costa Rica	3	0	1	2	2	10	−8	1

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

13 June 1997

Mexico	2–1	Colombia
Hernández 7', 11'		Ricard 58'

Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera, Santa Cruz

Attendance: 25,000

Referee: Horacio Elizondo (Argentina)

13 June 1997

Brazil	5–0	Costa Rica
Djalminha 20' González 34' (o.g.) Ronaldo 47', 54' Romário 60'

Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera, Santa Cruz

Attendance: 25,000

Referee: Epifanio González (Paraguay)

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16 June 1997

Colombia	4–1	Costa Rica
Morantes 13', 23' Cabrera 62' (pen.) Aristizábal 78'		Wright 66'

Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera, Santa Cruz

Attendance: 25,000

Referee: Esfandiar Baharmast (United States)

16 June 1997

Brazil	3–2	Mexico
Aldair 47' Romero 59' (o.g.) Leonardo 77'		Hernández 13', 31'

Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera, Santa Cruz

Attendance: 30,000

Referee: José Arana (Peru)

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19 June 1997

Mexico	1–1	Costa Rica
Hernández 14' (pen.)		Medford 60'

Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera, Santa Cruz

Attendance: 15,000

Referee: Epifanio González (Paraguay)

19 June 1997

Brazil	2–0	Colombia
Dunga 11' Edmundo 67'

Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera, Santa Cruz

Attendance: 30,567

Referee: Juan Carlos Paniagua (Bolivia)

Ranking of third-placed teams

At the end of the first stage, a comparison was made between the third-placed teams of each group. The two best third-placed teams advanced to the quarter-finals.

Grp	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
A	Paraguay	3	1	1	1	2	3	−1	4
C	Colombia	3	1	0	2	5	5	0	3
B	Uruguay	3	1	0	2	2	2	0	3

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

Knockout stage

	Quarter-finals				Semi-finals				Final
	22 June – Santa Cruz
	Brazil	2
					26 June – Santa Cruz
	Paraguay	0
					Brazil	7
	21 June – Sucre
					Peru	0
	Peru	2
									29 June – La Paz
	Argentina	1
									Brazil	3
	21 June – La Paz
									Bolivia	1
	Bolivia	2
					25 June – La Paz
	Colombia	1
					Bolivia	3
	22 June – Cochabamba
					Mexico	1			Third place
	Mexico	1 (4)
									28 June – Oruro
	Ecuador	1 (3)
									Peru	0
									Mexico	1

Quarter-finals

21 June 1997

Peru	2–1	Argentina
Carazas 30' Hidalgo 61'	Report	Gallardo 66' (pen.)

Estadio Olímpico Patria, Sucre

Attendance: 9,000

Referee: Byron Moreno (Ecuador)

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21 June 1997

Bolivia	2–1	Colombia
Etcheverry 3' Sánchez 24'	Report	Gaviria 57'

Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz

Attendance: 21,000

Referee: Horacio Elizondo (Argentina)

---

22 June 1997

Mexico	1–1	Ecuador
Blanco 17'	Report	Capurro 6' (pen.)
Penalties
Hernández Suárez Blanco Chávez Villa Sánchez	4–3	Montaño Capurro De la Cruz Graziani Fernández Rosero

Estadio Félix Capriles, Cochabamba

Attendance: 7,000

Referee: Antônio Pereira (Brazil)

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22 June 1997

17:30

Brazil	2–0	Paraguay
Ronaldo 9', 34'	Report

Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera, Santa Cruz

Attendance: 35,000

Referee: Rafael Sanabria (Colombia)

Semi-finals

25 June 1997

Bolivia	3–1	Mexico
E. Sánchez 27' R. Castillo 39' Moreno 79'	Report	Ramírez 8'

Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz

Attendance: 39,000

Referee: Epifanio González (Paraguay)

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26 June 1997

Brazil	7–0	Peru
Denílson 1' Conceição 20' Romário 36', 49' Leonardo 45', 55' Djalminha 77'	Report

Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera, Santa Cruz

Attendance: 21,000

Referee: Rodrigo Badilla (Costa Rica)

Third-place match

28 June 1997

19:00

Mexico	1–0	Peru
Hernández 82'	Report

Estadio Jesús Bermúdez, Oruro

Attendance: 8,000

Referee: Paolo Borgosano (Venezuela)

Final

Main article: 1997 Copa América final

29 June 1997

17:10 (UTC-4)

Brazil	3–1	Bolivia
Denilson 40' Ronaldo 79' Zé Roberto 90'	Report	E. Sánchez 45'

Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz

Attendance: 43,753

Referee: Jorge Nieves (Uruguay)

Result

1997 Copa América champions
Brazil Fifth title

Goalscorers

Luis Hernández, top scorer

With six goals, Luis Hernández was the top scorer in the tournament. There were 67 goals scored in 26 matches, for an average of 2.58 goals per match.

6 goals

• Luis Hernández

5 goals

• Ronaldo

3 goals

• Marcelo Gallardo
• Erwin Sánchez
• Leonardo
• Romário

2 goals

• Julio César Baldivieso
• Marco Etcheverry
• Djalminha
• Edmundo
• Neider Morantes
• Ariel Graziani
• Paul Cominges
• Martín Hidalgo

1 goal

• Sergio Berti
• Ramiro Castillo
• Milton Coimbra
• Jaime Moreno
• Aldair
• Flávio Conceição
• Denílson
• Dunga
• Zé Roberto
• Fernando Vergara
• Víctor Aristizábal
• Wilmer Cabrera
• Hernán Gaviria
• Hámilton Ricard
• Hernán Medford
• Mauricio Wright
• Luis Capurro
• José Gavica
• Wellington Sánchez
• Cuauhtémoc Blanco
• Nicolás Ramírez
• Roberto Acuña
• José Luis Chilavert
• Eddy Carazas
• Álvaro Recoba
• Marcelo Saralegui

1 own goal

• Rónald González (against Brazil)
• Camilo Romero (against Brazil)

Final positions

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Eff
1	Brazil	6	6	0	0	22	3	+19	18	100%
2	Bolivia	6	5	0	1	10	5	+5	15	83.5%
3	Mexico	6	2	2	2	8	9	−1	8	44.4%
4	Peru	6	3	0	3	5	11	−6	9	50%
Eliminated in the Quarterfinals
5	Ecuador	4	2	2	0	5	2	+3	8	66.7%
6	Argentina	4	1	2	1	4	3	+1	5	41.7%
7	Paraguay	4	1	1	2	2	5	−3	4	33.3%
8	Colombia	4	1	0	3	6	7	−1	3	25%
Eliminated in the First Stage
9	Uruguay	3	1	0	2	2	2	0	3	33.3%
10	Costa Rica	3	0	1	2	2	10	−8	1	11.1%
11	Chile	3	0	0	3	1	5	−4	0	0%
12	Venezuela	3	0	0	3	0	5	−5	0	0%