Chile are through to the knock-out stages of the World Cup but their indiscipline in their final group match against Spain could cost them dearly as they prepare to face Brazil for a place in the quarter-finals.
|Last Updated: Jun 26, 2010, 06:01 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Johannesburg: Chile are through to the knock-out stages of the World Cup but their indiscipline in their final group match against Spain could cost them dearly as they prepare to face Brazil for a place in the quarter-finals.
Their holding midfielder Marco Estrada was sent off in their 2-1 defeat by Spain in Pretoria on Friday night, and central defenders Waldo Ponce and Gary Medel both received their second yellow cards of the tournament.Estrada`s suspension for the match against Brazil in Johannesburg on Monday evening is no big deal - he would almost certainly have been dropped anyway in favour of Carlos Carmona, who returns from suspension.
But the loss of Ponce and Medel is huge. Both have been rock solid at the heart of the Chilean defence.
According to FIFA, which uses tracking technology to capture data on each player at the World Cup and then assesses it to see if it had a positive or negative impact on their team, Ponce and Medel were the two most effective players in the tournament during the first two matches.
Pablo Contreras and Ismael Fuentes are likely to replace the two centrebacks but although both have plenty of experience, they lack the calibre of Ponce and Medel.The prospect of facing any team without your two first-choice centrebacks is bad, but when that team is Brazil it is terrifying.
Despite their predicament, however, the Chileans have not lost faith in their ability to reach the last eight of the World Cup for the first time in nearly half a century.
"Brazil are one of the best teams in the world but I think that if all of us play to our potential we can go through," said Rodrigo Millar, scorer of Chile`s goal against Spain.
Team mate Jean Beausejour recalled the last time that Chile faced Brazil, in a World Cup qualifier last September. On that occasion Chile clawed themselves back from 2-0 down to level the match before conceding two late goals to lose 4-2.
"Unfortunately we couldn`t win it but we need to take the good things from that match and leave the bad things behind," Beausejour said.
The omens are not good for the Chileans though. Of their 65 encounters with Brazil down the years they have won just seven, and on the two occasions they have met at a World Cup, the Brazilians have won 4-2 and 4-1.
The last of those two meetings was at this stage of the competition at France 98, when two goals apiece from Ronaldo and Cesar Sampaio sunk Chile.
Unsurprisingly, Chilean defender Arturo Vidal chose not to dwell on that memory and said Chile had improved since then.
"It was a different generation and the players we have today have other ambitions," he said. "We finished second in the South American qualifying group for the World Cup this time round, and in 1998 that wasn`t the case."
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.