Chile edged one step closer to their title defense as they beat Colombia 2-0 in the second semi-final to set up a date with Argentina in Monday’s final. Charles Aranguiz and Jose Fuenzalida did the damage early in the first-half that eventually proved enough to seal a second successive Copa America final.
Los Cafeteros were punished for some slack defending when Aranguiz latched on to a poor header from Juan Cuadrado back to David Ospina to open the scorings in the 7th minute, whereas La Roja doubled the advantage just 4 minutes later when Fuenzalida poked home a rebound after Alexis Sanchez hit the post initially.
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The holders held a healthy 2-0 lead at the break, before bad weather conditions halted the football game for over 2 and a half hours. Once the game resumed, Colombia recommenced their attempts to get back into the game, but poor pitch conditions did not favour their cause and they failed to get anything from the game.
Chile sustained a prolonged Colombian pressure to protect their lead and set up a rematch of the 2015 final with the Argentinians. Here are the five major talking points from the game.
#1 The second-half would have been better off on Friday
For the opening 45 minutes, the second semi-final of Copa America Centenario sailed smoothly with Chile dominating the match and racing to a 2-0 lead. The second-half was going to be an interesting affair as Colombia were plotting a comeback, but stormy rains lashed the city of New Jersey to disrupt the game.
Turbulent weather conditions meant the match halted for over 150 minutes rather than the usual 15 minutes before the second stanza could be resumed and once it did, it lacked the flair of the first.
With the pitch completely waterlogged and slippery, the teams had a hard time playing the game as the ball couldn’t bounce properly and players were unable to run. It was a huge mistake to carry the match forward despite the rains settling down as the intensity of the match petered out largely.
It would’ve been wise to abandon the match and resume it a day later.
#2 Carlos Bacca should have started
Colombia head-coach Jose Pekerman started the inexperienced Roger Martinez in the attack in a 4-5-1 formation ahead of the much potent and effective Carlos Bacca in a very mysterious decision that backfired eventually.
The 22-year-old Racing Club forward barely settled in the game and the unfavourable turf conditions in the second half made his life worse. With James Rodriguez and Juan Cuadrado pulling the strings in the attack, Martinez cut more of an isloated figure upfront, failing to have any sort of impact and was overshadowed completely when Bacca came on for Cuadrado for the final 10 minutes.
The former Sevilla man is proven quantity upfront and came into the tournament on the back of an encouraging debut season in Serie A. The 29-year-old was more mobile and threatening in the 10 minutes awarded to him than what Martinez was in the entirety of 90 minutes. Bacca conjured a few shots at goal and put up crosses otherwise.
Starting Bacca would’ve held Colombia in a good stead and probably made them more potent in the attack right from the start, but Pekerman is now left to rue what might have been.
#3 A tale of two contrasting custodians
The second semi-final of the Copa America pitted two talented goalkeepers who aren’t always great, but occasionally brilliant. Claudio Bravo of Barcelona and David Ospina of Arsenal were at the opposite ends of the field, but the former came out on top in this interesting duel.
Bravo although had relatively lesser work to do all evening, the Chilean skipper was nonetheless aplomb whenever called into action. His opposite number, Ospina, had an evening to forget. He could have and should have, done much better with both goals as it was quite preventable.
The two custodians started their respective campaigns on a contrasting note as Bravo and Chile were beaten 2-1 by Argentina, whereas Ospina and Colombia won 2-0 over hosts USA. However, by this stage, the roles were reversed.
#4 A landmark in Pizzi’s Chile career
Juan Antonio Pizzi replaced Copa America winning coach Jorge Sampaoli at the helm of Chile back in January and just 5 months later, guides his team to another continental final.
The Spaniard had a difficult introduction to his international coaching career, losing 4 of the first 5 games in his tenure. The pressure was seriously mounting on him, but four consecutive victories that followed has helped him to cut himself some slack.
The latest was the most important of them all as it propelled the Reds to their second consecutive final and Pizzi stands on the cusp of a major landmark in his career should his side triumph in the finals.
#5 Chile beware, Argentina will be eyeing a revenge
In the 2015 Copa America final in Santiago, Chile lifted their first ever major international trophy by beating Argentina 4-1 on penalties. It was La Albiceleste’s second consecutive defeat in a major final, having lost the World Cup to Germany in Brazil the year before.
Now in their third successive final, Gerardo Martino’s men will be looking to end their long wait for a trophy and also avoid being third time unlucky in the finals. The world no.1 have romped their way this year, blowing their opponents out of water, including Chile, whom they beat 2-1 in the opener.
Chile may be 90 minutes away from retaining their hard-earned crown, but Argentina certainly have other plans. They’ll be gunning for a revenge and the gauntlet is now for La Roja to pick.
