Uruguay struggles past Bolivia 1-0

San Cristobal:

Striker Vicente Sanchez poked in a loose ball early in the second half and a struggling Uruguay kept alive its hopes of reaching the Copa America quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory over Bolivia on Saturday.

Diego Forlan deflected a cross in front of the goal and Sanchez slid to toe the ball under Bolivian keeper Sergio Galarza in the 58th minute.

The goal energized Uruguay, whose slow and ineffective first-half play resembled its performance against Peru.

The Andean side upset the two-time World Cup champions 3-0 in Copa America opener Tuesday in Merida.

But despite dominating possession at midfield, Forlan and his teammates rarely troubled the Bolivian defense.

Galarza thwarted one chance in first-half injury time, charging off his line to disrupt an attacking Sanchez.

"Boliva held on to the possesion of the ball and in many respects played better than us, but this isn't a beauty contest," Uruguay manager Oscar Tabarez said.

Prior to the start of the match, Spanish club Atletico Madrid confirmed it had agreed to transfer terms with Villarreal to acquire Forlan. Spanish media reported the deal was worth $28.36 million, and that Forlan would be offered a four-year contract.

As in two previous matches, the Venezuelan crowd chanted political slogans against President Hugo Chavez, who the opposition accuses of trying to muzzle press freedom by not renewing the license of a private TV channel critical of the leftist government.

Uruguay has one match remaining Tuesday against host Venezuela in Merida. Venezuela and Peru were to square off in the second Group A match on Saturday. The top two teams in each of the three four-team groups advance along with two third-place teams.