SANTA CLARA: Jhonder Cadiz and Eduard Bello scored second-half goals after subbing on at halftime and Venezuela rallied for a 2-1 win over short-handed Ecuador in the opening round of group play at the Copa America.
Enner Valencia, who went into the tournament expected to lead Ecuador's attack, was shown a straight red card in the 22nd minute and Ecuador played a man down the rest of the way.
Ecuador, however, took a 1-0 lead in the 40th minute when Jeremy Sarmiento took advantage of a failed clearance of a free kick into the area by Kendry Paez.
Cadiz played a one-touch shot from 15-yards out to make it 1-1 in the 64th minute.
Bello scored on a putback from point-blank range to give Venezuela a 2-1 lead in the 74th minute. Alexander González played an arcing entry from the right side to the center of the area and Salomón Rondón's diving header was parried by goalkeeper Alexander Domínguez and Bello took advantage.
Venezuelan fans could be heard chanting, “Y va a car, y va a caer, este gobierno va a caer,” which translates to “And it's going to fall, and it's going to fall, this government is going to fall." The chant comes ahead of the country's presidential election on July 28.
Ecuador lost for just the second time in its last 10 encounters against Venezuela in all competitions. The only other time Venezuela beat Ecuador at the Copa America was 1-0 in 2011.
Mexico beats Jamaica 1-0
Gerardo Arteaga scored from the edge of the penalty area in the 69th minute, and Mexico beat Jamaica 1-0 in its Copa America opener.
El Tri, competing as a guest in South America's championship for the 11th time, dominated the match and scored on their 17th shot.
Joel Latibeaudiere's weak headed clearance went to Luis Romo, who controlled the ball off a thigh and passed to Arteaga. His left-foot shot beat goalkeeper Jahmali Waite and went inside the far post for his second goal in 25 international appearances.
Michail Antonio appeared to put Jamaica ahead with a short-range header in the 50th minute but the goal was disallowed for offside following a video review.
Mexico captain Edson Álvarez left in the 30th minute following a left hamstring injury and was replaced by Romo.
Venezuela beat Ecuador 2-1 in the other Group B match. Mexico plays Venezuela at Inglewood, California, on Wednesday, when Jamaica faces Ecuador at Las Vegas.
Before a crowd of 53,763 at NRG Stadium, Mexico wore red, green and black jerseys patterned after folk art.
El Tri has not lost to Jamaica since a 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal.