A red card for Peru captain Claudio Pizarro spoilt the party for the Copa America hosts as they beat Venezuela 3-1 for their first win of the tournament.

Colombia became the first team to qualify for the last eight when Edixon Perea headed a last-minute goal in a 1-0 win over Bolivia in the opener of the Group A double bill in Lima's National Stadium on Friday.

With the top two teams in each group going through plus the two best third-placed sides, Peru are set to join Colombia barring an almost impossible combination of results.

The two teams meet in their final group game on Monday.

But the hosts will hope that Bayern Munich striker Pizarro, whose unwavering dedication makes him their inspiration, will get nothing more than an automatic one-match suspension.

Peru were already 3-1 up when Pizarro was given his marching orders for a late challenge, having been cautioned for simulation only a few minutes before.

Venezuela also finished with ten men after Miguel Mea Vitali was dismissed for two bookable offences in the 64th minute.

Peru, held 2-2 by underdogs Bolivia in their first outing, went ahead when Venezuela goalkeeper Gilberto Angelucci mistimed an attempt to intercept the ball and allowed PSV Eindhoven's new signing Jefferson Farfan to score into an empty net in the 34th minute.

Nolberto Solano added the second in the 61st, firing home Andres Mendoza's cross from 12 metres, and then set up the third for Santiago Acasiete eleven minutes later, floating over a free kick which the defender met with a perfect diving header.

Massimo Margiotta, who played for Italy in the Sydney Olympics before switching allegiances under FIFA's new nationality rules, scored the consolation with his first goal for Venezuela.

The Vicenza player was born in Venezuela of Italian parents.

LAVOLPE MISINTERPRETED

In the prelude, Colombia struggled to break down a packed Bolivia defence until 20-year-old Perea popped up to score with a looping header.

Colombia lead Group A with a maximum six points from two games, followed by Peru with four, Bolivia with one and Venezuela with none.

Away from the action, Mexico coach Ricardo Lavolpe said that he had been misinterpreted when he announced they day before that he would quit in one year's time.

The former Argentina goalkeeper, whose team face his homeland in Group B in Chiclayo on Saturday, said that he will not coach another professional team after his current stint with Mexico but would be staying in his job indefinitely.

"It could be one year, or two years, or they could kick me out be tomorrow," Lavolpe told reporters.

Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira called for fewer Copa Americas after his second-string team's dismal 1-0 win over Chile in Arequipa the night before.

Parreira, who has rested his top players, said that playing the Copa every two years is simply too much, especially when the continent's ten nations also meet each other twice over two and a half years in the World Cup qualifiers.

"It is barely a month since we played Argentina and Chile in World Cup qualifiers and here we are playing in another major international tournament," he said.

But he added: "It's not just up to Brazil. It is all about money. Nations like Bolivia, Venezuela and Peru are not going to vote for a measure that they believe will reduce their revenue."