‘Dizzy’ Araujo forced off at half-time in Uruguay’s Copa America clash

‘Dizzy’ Araujo forced off at half-time in Uruguay’s Copa America clash

Ronald Araujo admitted he suffered from dizziness during Uruguay’s opening game of the Copa America on Sunday.

Uruguay beat Panama 3-1 in a match that Araujo started but left at half-time after struggling physically and requiring treatment.

The Barcelona defender calmed any fears afterwards by saying he would be fine to continue and explaining what made him go off.

“I suffered a pressure drop,” he told reporters. “I was dizzy in the first half.

“I hydrated poorly during the day,” he added before stating “for the next game I will be fine.”

The game was played in energy-sapping conditions at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami with manager Marcelo Bielsa admitting the high temperatures affected his team afterwards.

“We saw that with the weather, very high humidity, it is difficult to manage the energy,” he said.

“And Uruguay depends a lot on its dynamics. But if, out of 90 minutes, we were able to impose ourselves on the game in the way we wanted for 70 or 75 minutes, then the ratio is good.

“It could have become complicated for us. After 20 minutes of the second half we were dominating again and creating chances, and the result seemed to represent what happened on the field.”

Uruguay go on to play Bolivia before a final group game against the United States.