الثلاثاء، 30 يونيو 2015

Copa America Semi Final: Chile 2-1 Peru; Match Review

A quick summary of the first Copa America Semi Final.

In a tight, 2-1 victory Chile secured just their third Copa America Final and on July 4, against the winner of the Argentina vs Paraguay match, they will try to win their first ever Copa America title. Throughout the tournament the hosts, Chile, have been in the good graces of the referees and this time it was more or less the same once again. Chile struggled in the early going of the game as Peru were by far the more dangerous team on the pitch, mostly due to good counterattacks and accurate crosses from the wings, Paolo Guerrero was especially active, but the Blanquirroja couldn't score, which proved crucial after Carlos Zambrano was shown a red card for a clumsy clearance in which the defender caught an opposing player in the back with the studs of his boot.

After the red card Chile took control of the game. Chile dominated possession and tried to break down the Peru defense through extended passing plays, while Peru defended deep but launched quick counters when such an option presented itself. A sentiment nicely represented below in an infographic provided by SportsMatrix.

After Eduardo Vargas scored late in the first half, after a long Alexis Sanchez shot hit the post, it seemed over for Peru. Peru would get a lifeline early in the second half when Vargas' second of the game was incorrectly ruled out for offside, and because the Peruvians remained dangerous on the counter attack and from set-pieces there was still a chance for the underdog. In goal for Chile was Barcelona's Claudio Bravo who made a couple solid saves, but was at times fortunate that the aim of the Peru attackers, notably Jefferson Farfan, was poor. While the Peru players couldn't beat Bravo, Chile defender Gary Medel had no such problems, expertly deflecting a Luis Advincula cross past Bravo and into the back of net to tie the game at one in the 60th minute.

But Peru's smiles were short lived, as just four minutes later, Vargas indeed competed his brace with a stunning goal from 35-yards out that Peru goalkeeper, Pedro Gallese, had no chance of stopping, even if he was slightly out of position. Chile didn't make the mistake of letting Peru back for a second time and calmly brought the game to an uneventful end. The stats are clearly on Chile's side, but it could've been a very different game had Zambrano not been sent off after just 20 minute of play.



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