?Players of Ecuador celebrate scoring during the Copa America 2019 Group C match between Japan and Ecuador at Mineir?o Stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, June 24, 2019. The game ended with a 1-1 draw. (Xinhua/Lucio Tavora)
SAO PAULO, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Japan and Ecuador were knocked out of the 2019 Copa America on Monday, after a 1-1 draw in their final Group C match was not enough for either side to advance to the knockout stages.
The result meant that Paraguay, who finished third in Group B, took the last spot in the quarterfinals of the South American competition.
Shoya Nakajima gave Japan the lead in the 15th minute, before Angel Mena equalized for Ecuador in the 35th minute.
Japanese teenager Takefusa Kubo had the ball in the net in stoppage time, but the goal was ruled out for offside after consulting VAR.
Elsewhere, Uruguay topped Group C after beating defending champions Chile 1-0 in the other match, ending with seven points. Chile finished second with six points, while Japan and Ecuador had two and one points respectively.
The top two teams in each of the three groups advanced to the knockout stages, along with the two best third-place finishers.
In the quarterfinals, Brazil will play Paraguay, Venezuela take on Argentina, Colombia face Chile and Uruguay will play Peru.
