Copa America 2015: Saturday's Day 10 Takeaways

Group B in the 2015 Copa America wound up on Saturday with all four teams still in with a chance of reaching the last eight.

Uruguay and Paraguay needed a draw from their match at the Estadio La Portada in La Serena to ensure progress to the quarter-finals.

And Argentina were expected to beat Jamaica to finish on top of the group to mark Lionel Messi's 100th international appearance.

Ultimately, there were no surprises in how the day unfolded, but the win in Vina del Mar was not a clear-cut one for Gerardo Martino's team ahead of the knockout stages.

Here are our takeaways from Day 10 in Chile.

1. It is not just Liverpool who are suffering without Luis Suarez

Nobody really expected Liverpool to match the heroics of the 2013-14 Premier League season without the services of Luis Suarez for the most recently completed campaign.

Sure enough, the Anfield club failed to ignite without the forward, who departed for Barcelona after narrowly missing out on the title with the Reds.

Fast-forward a few weeks, and now it is Uruguay who are clearly lacking an edge with their star man suspended.

Edinson Cavani has been handed the chance to bridge the gap vacated by Suarez, but his form in Group B has been less than impressive to date.

Indeed, the Paris Saint-Germain forward has barely registered throughout the first round, and he only really entered the game against Paraguay eight minutes into the second period with a wayward effort from a Maxi Pereira ball.

Instead, the reigning Copa America holders had to rely on a move forged at Atletico Madrid as Jose Maria Gimenez headed home the opening goal in the 29th minute from a Carlos Sanchez corner.

Uruguay were hauled back by a similar headed goal by Lucas Barrios a minute before the interval.

However, Oscar Tabarez's team have not enjoyed the best of form in the 2015 Copa America, as their progress to the quarter-finals remained in doubt until the final whistle in the 1-1 draw with Paraguay.

As Conor Dowley of SBNation.com noted:

"

If Uruguay still had the good version of Cavani, they might have been able to find a way to scrape through without Suarez. For now, though, Tabarez has to find some way to get his side playing well again without him, both for their upcoming Copa America quarterfinal and their next four competitive matches after it, including at least two World Cup qualifiers. That's a tall task, and based on the evidence we've seen so far, it's hard to see things getting any better before Suarez comes back.

"

If Uruguay are to have any chance of progressing beyond the next stage, Cavani will have to rediscover the form that saw him notch nine goals in his last six Ligue 1 games.

Luis Hidalgo/Associated Press

Cavani was only a bit-part player in the success of 2011, but his chance to emerge from the shadows is fast disappearing unless he can find his clinical edge in time for the last-eight clash against hosts Chile in Santiago on June 24.

2. Angel Di Maria raises the bar for Argentina—and hopes at Manchester United

This has been a strange season for Angel Di Maria. He started in some style at Manchester United following his move from Real Madrid.

But a dip in form saw him sidelined under Louis van Gaal as the Red Devils chased a Champions League place.

Natacha Pisarenko/Associated Press

However, if one man has outshone Lionel Messi for Argentina in the Copa America so far, it is the 27-year-old from Rosario.

It is almost as if he has shed the shadow of Old Trafford as he plays for his country on South American soil. Di Maria is at home in the Copa America.

Any suggestion he has lost confidence has dissipated completely through the group stages, and he effortlessly earned the star man award in the 1-0 win over Jamaica, which saw his nation finish on top in Group B.

"

Angel Di Maria doing all sorts of really serious hope-raising out here.

— Paul (@UtdRantcast) June 20, 2015"

Perhaps it was the emotion of reaching 100 caps that prevented Messi from hitting top gear against the Reggae Boyz, or, more likely, it was the resilient nature of their defence that thwarted the Barcelona star.

But Jamaica had few answers to the threat of Di Maria, especially in the opening stages, when his assist for Gonzalo Higuain's 11th-minute winner was just one part of his game. 

"

Angel Di Maria assist for Higuain goal http://t.co/PBDIhiOYYm #MUFC

— Manchester United (@ManUtdUpdates_) June 20, 2015"

Argentina might have disappointed in their failure to break down Jamaica, but that was not an accusation that could be aimed at the United man.

Di Maria has proved his ability for his country so far—heartening United fans in the process.

3. Gonzalo Higuain blows chance to impress for Argentina

Akin to the example of Cavani mentioned earlier, Martino granted Higuain the opportunity to make his Copa America mark in place of Sergio Aguero, who started on the bench after a shoulder injury in the midweek win over Uruguay.

The Napoli striker was even preferred to Carlos Tevez, who did not make an appearance in the win over Jamaica until late in the second half.

Selecting Higuain appeared to work in Martino's favour in the opening 15 minutes, as Argentina bossed the game and took an early lead through the former Real Madrid man in the 11th minute.

However, Higuain's game was also punctuated by a number of missed opportunities to add more goals, culminating in a woeful second-half effort from an incisive Di Maria pass into the area.

If Argentina are to succeed in lifting the trophy this year, Martino will be hoping Aguero is back to full fitness in time for the quarter-final on June 26 and beyond.

4. Dwayne Miller magic thwarts Messi and Co.

There was another reason why Argentina failed to build on that early goal, though—a giant goalkeeper who currently plies his trade in the Swedish second tier.

Dwayne Miller might not be a name that trips off the tongue in the same way Messi, Di Maria and Javier Pastore do, but he was equal to anything the trio could muster for most of the game at the Estadio Sausalito.

Natacha Pisarenko/Associated Press

There was little the Syrianska FC goalkeeper could do about Higuain's goal, but he more than made up for that with a string of fine saves throughout the remainder of the 90 minutes.

Notably, his stop to deny Messi scoring in his 100th international game when he clawed down a terrific chip by the Barcelona star before claiming the ball was a stand-out moment.

"

A maior defesa da carreira de Dwayne Miller, goleiro da Jamaica, evitando um gol de Messi https://t.co/30c8jXIbNo

— Futmais (@futmais) June 20, 2015"

But Miller, 27, produced numerous moments to ensure his memories of Jamaica's first-ever Copa America were all good.

Expect more heroics when Miller and the Reggae Boyz compete in the Gold Cup next month.