Uruguay beat Canada on penalties in the Copa America third-place playoff match on Saturday after Luis Suarez scored a late equalizer in a 2-2 draw at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Rodrigo Bentancur also scored in regulation time for Uruguay, while Jonathan David and Ismael Kone scored for Canada, who finished fourth in their Copa America debut.

Canada's Ismael Kone had a tame spot-kick saved by goalkeeper Sergio Rochet and Canadian defender Alphonso Davies hit the crossbar as Uruguay won the shootout 4-3.

Uruguay's pressure paid off when all-time leading goalscorer Luis Suarez timed his run perfectly in the 92nd minute to get on the end of a Jose Maria Gimenez pass and score his 69th international goal to force a penalty shootout

Suarez and Bentancur also converted their penalty kicks in the shootout.

"It was a hard blow, the previous match, but we knew we had to be mentally prepared because it was not the same to finish third than fourth," Rochet told DSports.

"We made a great effort against Canada but the wear and tear was noticeable. We tied it with a great goal by Suarez and we finished it off in penalties."

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In the first half, Bentancur swivelled and smashed home a knock-down from a corner to give Uruguay the lead in the eighth minute, but Kone scored with an acrobatic scissor kick to level the scores 14 minutes later.

Right after Canada's goal, Uruguay had a break and Facundo Pellistri slotted his right-footed shot into the bottom corner, but Maximiliano Araujo was deemed to be offside in the build-up and the goal was disallowed.

Canada went ahead in the 80th minute when Kone unleashed a long-range shot that Rochet parried, before Jonathan David pounced to slot home the rebound.

Uruguay pressed for an equalizer and Canada goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair made a huge save on Suarez's close-range left-foot effort seconds before the equalizer.

Their pressure paid off when all-time leading goalscorer Suarez timed his run perfectly in the 92nd minute to get on the end of a Jose Maria Gimenez pass and score his 69th international goal to force a penalty shootout.

"You can play a good game and end up losing it on penalties. Everyone who stepped up to take a penalty kicked it with confidence and where they thought it would go in," Canada's Davies told TSN.

"Overall, I'm proud of my team. To come in this competition and compete with very good teams, it's an achievement that will live with us forever."

On Sunday, defending champions Argentina take on Colombia at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, to decide the continental title.

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Far from satisfied

Uruguay's coach Marcelo Bielsa said the South American side had performed well below their level.

Canada made several changes to their lineup for the match and looked the fresher side as they caused Uruguay a number of problems.

"It wasn't a great performance. The draw, at best, was barely deserved. I think that the opponent head coach's decision to prioritize physical aptitude instead of usual starters was more successful," Bielsa told reporters.

"I went with the usual starters in spite of them being weary. There were ups and downs. The chances created by both teams were even, but in all truth, we didn't play well.

"Regarding this third place, I do think Uruguay is one of the three best teams of this tournament. Even if this tournament came after long seasons and the tiredness affects players, I thought that given our roster, we could have played a bit better than what we showed."

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Bielsa's counterpart Jesse Marsch, who took charge of Canada in May, said he was proud of the progress the team had made in a short period, adding: "The players are disappointed in the way that we gave the match away.

"But I was very positive with them. We've been together for a little over six weeks. We came into this match, put some new players on the pitch, played for me against one of the best teams in the world, and dominated the match.

"We're still a young team. If you look at their team, they have experienced players across the board, players playing at big clubs, a lot of experience in understanding how to handle moments. And we're still developing that."