Uruguay kicked off their 2019 Copa América campaign with a resounding 4-0 win over Ecuador on Sunday in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Selected into the Starting XI by Head Coach ÓscarTabárez, Lodeiro rewarded the decision by being central to all three first-half goals for La Celeste.
Lodeiro bagged the opening goal in the 6th minute, as he controlled a cross from Luis Suárez before flicking the ball over a defender and smashing a volley into the bottom corner.
In the 20th minute, the Uruguayan was on the receiving end of an elbow to the head from Ecuador’s José Quintero, who was shown a yellow card, only to be sent off by the referee following a lengthy VAR review.
Uruguay continued to pile the pressure,Cavani forced two fine saves from Ecuador goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez, including one onto the post after a delightful flick.
However, the Paris Saint-Germain forward would double his side’s lead in the 33rd minute with his first Copa America goal, acrobatically volleying in from close range from an assist by Godin
Uruguay went further ahead just before the break, Suarez converting at the back post after Martin Caceres flicked a well-placed corner from Lodeiro.
Uruguay were content to hold on to possession to begin the second half as they looked to conserve energy due to their big lead.
But they sealed the victory in the 78th minute, Mina scoring an unfortunate own goal that was initially ruled out for offside before being overturned by the VAR.
The victory further reinforced Uruaguay as one of the favourites for the tournament alongside hosts Brazil. They next face Asian dude Japan in their next match on Friday as they look to make it two victories in a row.