Chile continue shootout magic, look to add Confederations Cup to trophy haul
Chile's previous three tournaments had all come to their conclusion with a penalty shootout. There were the victories against Argentina in the 2015 Copa America and last year's Copa Centenario, but 12 months earlier -- on this very day, June 28 -- they went out of the 2014 World Cup after a shootout defeat to hosts Brazil.
On that occasion they hit the woodwork with the last kick of the 120 minutes, Mauricio Pinilla thumping a long-range shot against the Brazilian bar. So they must have feared the worst when, right at the end of their Confederations Cup semifinal, they laid siege to the Portugal goal; Arturo Vidal smashed a shot against the post and Martin Rodriguez turned the rebound onto the crossbar.
But the history of 2014 did not repeat itself -- emphatically. The shootout was over almost before it had begun, with Chile scoring from their opening three kicks, and Claudio Bravo blocking the first three from the Portuguese.
The redemption of Bravo, the team captain, is one of the many positives that Chile take out of this game. A shaky first season at Manchester City ended in injury, which kept him out of this competition until last Sunday's match against Australia, when he emerged with a beard so bushy it looked as if he had spent the past few months bear trapping. Clean shaven for the semifinal, he topped a solid game with a magnificent performance in the shootout, reminding everyone of why he has been so important to Chile for so long.
Chile can also take enormous heart from the fact that, shootout aside, Bravo had little to do. He punched away same dangerous crosses, and came out smartly to block an early shot from Andre Silva. Otherwise, the champions of South America dealt comfortably enough with the their counterparts from Europe -- despite the fact that their ageing side had a day's rest less than their opponents. Chile had occasionally looked alarmingly open in the last two games, against Germany and Australia, and there were genuine fears that they might be unable to cope with Cristiano Ronaldo and co., especially on the counterattack.
The Real Madrid star did lay on that chance for Andre Silva with an exquisite pass, but Chile did a fair job of keeping him quiet -- for which considerable credit has to go to Juan Antonio Pizzi, their impressive coach. Many predicted doom when the high-profile Jorge Sampaoli jumped ship at the start of last year. But in his own quiet way, Pizzi has proved a splendid replacement.
He is nothing like as extravagant as his predecessor. Pizzi does not stray from a back four, for example, where Sampaoli continuously switched between three and four at the back. But Pizzi's 4-3-3 comes with variations. He went with a more conservative version against the Portuguese. Pablo Hernandez came into midfield to add some cool solidity to the block, freeing Vidal to play a roving role; sometimes false nine, at others deep in his own half, and at others wide on the right, allowing full-back Mauricio Isla to stay deeper and squeeze the space that Ronaldo was looking to exploit.
Chile were good value for their win, carving out clearer opportunities. It is true that, once more, they were unable to take advantage of the chances created. Indeed, they have only won a single game in the four they have played in this tournament (one in six including the warm-up friendlies), despite coming up with some sparkling passages of play. The fact that Pizzi took so long to go to the bench -- he made his first substitution after 85 minutes, and the other two after 111 and 119 -- is evidence to support the view that he was happy with the way that game was going, but also that he lacks complete faith in the strength in depth of his squad.
The current side, heading towards their third World Cup, cannot go on forever. But they can go on to St. Petersburg for Sunday's final, dreaming of adding the Confederations Cup trophy to the silverware they have recently picked up on the other side of the Atlantic.
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