Leeds United hero Marcelo Bielsa comes out on top in Copa America head-to-head with former Elland Road boss

Former Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa is taking charge of South American nation Uruguay at a major tournament for the first time this summer and ensured his team were off to a winning start with a 3-1 victory over Panama.

The Argentine manager has presided over nine victories, three draws and two defeats since his May 2023 appointment, kicking off the country's 2024 Copa America campaign with a convincing win.

It came at the expense of fellow former Leeds head coach Thomas Christiansen who has been in charge of the Panamanian national team since 2020.

The pair were seen to embrace on the touchline before kick-off, after which Uruguay took a 16th minute lead through Maxi Araujo. Liverpool's Darwin Nunez and Matias Vina added the finishing touches with a goal apiece during the final stages, before Michael Murillo netted a 94th minute consolation for Panama.

After the first round of matches in Group C, Uruguay sit atop the standings, ahead of the United States who also tasted victory in their first game at the tournament, beating Bolivia 2-0.

"The first half was a performance where we showed our superiority and we could have scored more goals than we did," Bielsa said at full-time.

"We saw that with the weather, very high humidity, it is difficult to manage the energy.

"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," the 68-year-old added.

Uruguay next face Bolivia in the early hours of Friday morning, before a final group stage decider versus Brenden Aaronson's United States on July 2.