Chile booked their place in the Copa America semi-finals with a penalty shootout victory over Colombia in Sao Paulo, keeping alive the reigning champions’ hopes of claiming a third consecutive title.
It was a game of few clear chances at either end, but Chile will feel aggrieved they did not win the game inside 90 minutes after having two goals ruled out by VAR.
And so, sadly, it is with technology that the talking points from the action begin.
VAR TEMPORARILY RESCUES COLOMBIA…TWICE
As quatro vezes que o Chile 🇨🇱 e a Colômbia 🇨🇴 se encontraram na eliminação direta da #CopaAmerica terminaram com a vitória da @LaRoja: Quartas de final de 1999 - 2019 e Semifinais de 1987 - 2016. pic.twitter.com/8cBUNJQdAc
— Copa América (@CopaAmerica) 29 June 2019
Colombia dodged two bullets, starting midway through the first half when VAR came to their rescue to disallow an opening goal for Chile.
The first ‘goal’ came when Arturo Vidal swept a pass to Alexis Sanchez on the left wing, and he weighted a pass into the path of overlapping left-back Jean Beausejour. Colombia keeper David Ospina and centre-back Davinson Sanchez got in each other’s way as they defended the cross, and the loose ball was turned over the line by Charles Aranguiz.
But Chile’s celebrations were in vain as technology intervened to rule that Sanchez was offside – by a matter of millimetres – when he received the pass from Vidal.
It was such a marginal call that critics of VAR will leap upon the incident as a misuse of the system, and as the offside occurred several seconds before the goal it also raises the question of exactly how far back into a move the cameras should interrogate.
Another Chile goal was ruled out after 70 minutes, when Guillermo Maripan was adjudged to have handled just before Vidal thrashed home a loose ball inside the penalty area.
It was another tough decision to take for the holders, although in truth the controversy was caused less by VAR and more by the ongoing ambiguity of the handball law – the ball certainly hit Maripan on the elbow, but equally, clearly, there was no intent.
CHILE THE PENALTY KINGS
Copa America plus penalty shootouts has been a happy equation for Chile in recent years, adding up to back-to-back title triumphs in 2015 and 2016 with spot-kick victories in finals against Argentina to give La Roja their first major trophies.
So Chile will not have been at all disappointed to take this game to penalties, which arrived earlier than usual after the 90 minutes stalemate with no extra time contested in the quarter-final stage.
And the reigning champions could not have done a better job in the shoot-out, converting all five of their spot-kicks with confident and excellent strikes from Vidal, Eduardo Vargas, Eric Pulgar, Aranguiz and finally Sanchez to advance into the last four.
Considering the two disallowed goals they suffered during normal time, Chile will feel the outcome was fully merited and that justice was eventually served.
And, heading into a probable quarter-final against Uruguay, they will feel confident of marching all the way to a three-peat…especially if they can keep on forcing shootouts.
COLOMBIA LOSE ATTACKING EDGE
Colombia were favourites heading into the game after an impressive trio of victories in the group stage and – with the aforementioned help of VAR – they maintained their defensive solidity by recording yet another clean sheet, meaning they have still not conceded a goal in the tournament.
But this was a disappointing attacking performance from Carlos Queiroz’s men, who started off brightly with Radamel Falcao, James Rodriguez and Juan Cuadrado all prominent in the opening 15 minutes and Falcao showing early threat with a snapshot from the edge of the box.
But as the game wore on, Los Cafeteros gradually lost their attacking intent and retreated onto the back foot, ending the game as a passive force while Chile seized the initiative and looked much more likely to force a late winner.
Substitute Duvan Zapata, such an impressive performer in the group stage, barely touched the ball after replacing Falcao, while James ended the game as a marginal presence, picking up a yellow card as his frustration spilled over.
In the end, Colombia’s increasing negativity condemned them to the penalty shootout, where a bad miss from William Tesillo allowed Sanchez to stroke home the winner. And they can have no complaints.
