Copa America highlights so far

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  • Chile fans (r) have excelled where others haven't.

    As the Copa America group stages come to their conclusion, we look at the biggest stories from Chile so far and the players to make an impression, for both the right and wrong reasons.

    Two stars explode – and not in a good way

    Some of world football’s biggest names are sprinkled among the Copa America competitors, making the tournament immensely popular all around the world as fans tune in to watch the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and James Rodriguez sparkle on the big stage.

    Unfortunately, some of the tournament’s biggest attractions have brought about more negative headlines than positive.

    A year on from his World Cup being agonisingly brought to a premature end against Colombia, Neymar suffered the same fate in Chile, but this time it was all of his own making.

    While a Juan Zuniga knee to the spine put Neymar out of the World Cup on home soil, a moment of madness saw him fall foul of Los Cafeteros this time around. Enraged, partly by his own unimpressive performance and partly by the man who scored Colombia’s winner, Jeison Murillo, the Barcelona star exploded.

    A booted ball at Pablo Armero after the final whistle, an aimed head-butt at Murillo, and the haranguing of the referee after Brazil’s 1-0 defeat all followed. It was an ugly end to proceedings that saw Neymar, already suspended for one match after picking up two yellow cards, handed an extra three-game ban, ending the Brazil captain’s competition.

    If Brazil were to end up reaching the final at Santiago’s Estadio Nacional on July 4, Neymar’s absence will prove a loss to his teammates, countrymen and football fans. That’s if they get there though and, given their performances so far, it may not prove to be an issue.

    One team genuinely dreaming of Copa glory is hosts Chile who are looking real contenders to lift the trophy for the first time. Their belief is, in part, thanks to Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal, who has been a revelation on the pitch and a disappointment off it.

    Having crashed his Dhs1.4m Ferrari in the early hours of the morning that followed La Roja’s 3-3 draw with Mexico, Vidal was found to have alcohol in his bloodstream and doubt was cast over his participation in the remainder of the tournament.

    “Today I was in a traffic accident. It wasn’t my fault,” said Vidal in a video statement hours before news broke that he had been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. However, the tournament’s top-scorer was welcomed back into the fold by Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli, who knows his side’s chances would be severely damaged without El Rey – the king.

    It’s hardly a good message to send to young kids who look up to Vidal and Chile’s heroes, or even the rest of the team, but the Chilean public has cast Vidal’s indiscretion aside already, cheering him with gusto in his next appearance, a thumping 5-0 win over Bolivia that confirmed his side as Copa 2015’s form team.

    The giants need to improve

    Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and reigning champions Uruguay would each have been plotting Copa America success two weeks ago, but the group phase has left them all with gaping holes that need plugging.

    Colombia look the most vulnerable of the big teams, having qualified for the quarter-finals by virtue of a favour from rivals Brazil as Jose Pekerman’s highly-rated men faced the ignominy of being dumped out in the group stage had the Canaries not beaten Venezuela.

    Tata Martino’s men topped their group, courtesy of wins over Uruguay and Jamaica and a draw against Paraguay, but the Argentine’s have also fallen short of their immense expectations. They have so far failed to ignite, struggling to put games to bed despite their abundance of world-class options in attack.

    That’s less the case for Uruguay, who are clearly missing Barcelona striker Luis Suarez, whose extended ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup has seen him exiled from the competition. Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani hasn’t been able to transfer his club form to the international scene. Uruguay are tough customers at the back, with Atletico Madrid pair Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez arguably the best central defensive unit in the tournament, but they are in desperate need of goals and inspiration at the other end of the field.

    Like Argentina, Brazil have so far advanced without being anywhere near their best. Their Copa America can be miserably summed up by a single moment in their 2-1 win over Venezuela. Midfielder Elias had the ball in his own half, 10 yards from the halfway line, looked up and punted it long towards the corner without a single Brazil player in the attacking half. This is where Dunga’s team are at right now.

    Chile have been wonderful hosts

    “Chi-Chi-Chi! Le-Le-Le! Viva Chile, Chile!” Once you’ve heard it, it’s impossible to get the chant out of your head.

    The hosts are well and truly smitten by the tournament, and the positive feeling felt in the country is helped by the fact they have the best chance of winning it in quite some time. The golden generation, led by Alexis Sanchez and built on the presence of Claudio Bravo between the sticks, are flying.

    Chile fans have taken up large swathes of tickets to matches and when there are lulls in games the aforementioned song rings around the stadium. In the Argentina matches against Uruguay, Jamaica and Paraguay, the Chile fans were whistled by Albiceleste followers, but for the most part it’s been taken well.

    If Chile were to clash with Argentina in the final, the mixed, unsegregated seating might prove problematic, but so far it’s made for a colourful, friendly experience. The stadiums, many of which are set against stunning natural backdrops of mountains, are a world away from the soulless bowls that many European clubs elect to play in.

    Each host city is decorated with Copa America signs and the flags of the countries competing. In Rancagua they have converted bus-stops to look like goals, while supermarket workers put on Chilean face paint and accessorise with red, white and blue.

    Chile will receive as many as 80,000 visitors for the Copa America and so far things have been going smoothly. Among exploring the local penchant for hot-dogs loaded with palta – pureed avocado – the guests have been getting in the carnival atmosphere. From throwing inflatables around the stadiums, to joining in the Mexican waves, this tournament has a distinct sense of fun.

    There have been just two problems. The first being that the last round of fixtures were not synchronized, which took the tension out of many of the matches as teams knew if they had already qualified for the quarter finals or not before they took to the field. It meant more live games, more air-time, more adverts and more money. But less fun.

    The other is the smog that sits over Santiago and many other cities in Chile. Sometimes it’s noticeable and sometimes it’s not, but either way it’s a problem that needs to be solved. The capital has been sent into environmental alert twice in the past few days, meaning that cars without the right catalytic converters cannot enter a certain zone. Rain helps clear the air, but few people here can remember the last time the clouds complied with the city’s prayers.

    Heroes and Villains

    Putting Neymar and Vidal aside, there are plenty of other heroes and villains among the cast in Chile.

    Let’s deal with the bad first – Falcao and Cavani. These are two (formerly) first-rate forwards, have huffed and puffed for three games but not once looked like blowing any houses down. The centrepieces of Colombia and Uruguay respectively, their countries need their star men to step up and deliver if they are to progress beyond the quarters.

    As for the better performances over the course of the past two weeks, where better place to start than the hosts? Alexis Sanchez failed to score in the first two games, but his overall performances have been marvellous and he has embraced the added expectation and responsibility. A word for Jorge Valdivia too – the playmaker has been a consistent source of delight for Chile supporters, neutrals and his teammates.

    Despite Brazil’s floundering, Willian and Dani Alves have impressed, going above and beyond with their energy, pressing and commitment to the cause. Striker Roberto Firmino, meanwhile, struck against Venezuela but will be remembered for the miss of the tournament, blazing over an open goal during Brazil’s defeat by Colombia.

    With regards to the latter match, Aston Villa’s Carlos Sanchez surprised the watching world with the job he did shackling Neymar in that same game, a superhuman display from a player who has been anything but at club level.

    And of course, Messi. He is the one player at this tournament that is out of this world, even if he hasn’t been at his world-destroying best. He took Paraguay to pieces and was essential against Uruguay too, executing passes that most footballers fail to see, let alone produce.  But it’s not just been his sensational play that has caught the eye. At full-time in Argentina’s 1-0 victory over Jamaica, Deshorn Brown grabbed his phone and accosted the No 10 in pursuit of a selfie with the Barcelona forward. Messi obliged, setting a dangerous precedence for future opponents in awe of their nemesis.  

    A word for the minnows

    The world doesn’t tune in to watch games like Peru-Bolivia, but both these sides deserve their quarter-final clash in Temuco on Thursday night. The former were unlucky to lose to a last minute Brazil winner, deserved more than a draw against Colombia and also beat Venezuela. Bolivia, meanwhile, celebrated their first win for 20 years outside their own country – against Ecuador – by sealing qualification from the group.

    Paraguay too, beaten finalists in the last edition, got out of a tricky group by impressing against the two bigger sides, Argentina and Uruguay, and beating Jamaica.

    Unfortunately, the less said about Ecuador, Venezuela and Mexico, the better. Mexico, in particular, brought a shadow squad with the likes of Javier Hernandez saved for the Gold Cup. That said, El Tri did partake in the game of the tournament so far, a thrilling 3-3 draw with Chile that encapsulated everything enjoyable about South American football.

     

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