Chile beat Panama 4-2 Tuesday night in Philadelphia in front of a sea of red. The Chile fans were silenced early when Panama struck first, in the 4th minute. The long range shot should have been savable but goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was unable to palm away the shot, and instead redirected it into his net.
It didn’t take long for Chile to bounce back, however. Chile ended up with a 2-1 lead going into halftime thanks to a brace by Eduardo Vargas. Both goals started from Chile’s deep-lying central midfielder Marcelo Diaz. Both times he played a forward ball into Arturo Vidal’s feet in front of the Panamanian defense. For the first Vidal played a combination with Alexis Sanchez, who Vidal played in behind the Panamanian defense. Sanchez was saved brilliantly by Jaime Penedo. The rebound however, fell to Eduardo Vargas who smashed it in to equalize. The next goal came when Vidal played it wide to Jean Beausejour, after receiving the pin-point pass from Diaz. Beausejour whipped in a terrific cross to the near post, and Vargas popped up again to head home across the net to the back post.
Chile took control of the game after this, with multiple chances and the majority of possession. Sanchez nabbed his first goal of the night in the 50th minute to make the score 3-1. Vargas this time turned provider, crossing to Sanchez at the back post. Sanchez volleyed the ball first-time out of the air into the top left corner to kill off Panama’s chance. Vargas made a great run in the channel, and was found with a good pass by Mauricio Isla. Vargas could have opted to take the shot and seal his hat-trick, but instead put the ball on a platter for Sanchez.
Panama bounced back and scored a second from a free kick, which was flicked to the back post and then headed inside Claudio Bravo’s near post. On both instances Bravo should have done better to prevent the goals, and in fact the first would be considered a howler. Coach Juan Antonio Pizzi brushed off Bravo’s performance saying, “He is the captain and most capped player. Everyone knows him and knows how good he is, and we all respect what he brings for the team, not only his contribution on the field.”
Chile extended their scoreline once again, with Sanchez grabbing his second of the night. Jose Fuenzelida made a run down the left side with no one in sight, played into space by Charles Aranguiz. His cross was on a dime, and flew off of Sanchez’s forehead and into the back of the net.
Sanchez may have gotten the official man of the match for the game, and though he played great I believe the award should go someone else. His first goal was a touch of class and his second a well placed, experienced forwards goal. Marcelo Diaz and Eduardo Vargas, however, are the ones who deserve most of the credit tonight. Chile needed only a draw to move on, and Vargas provided 2 goals in the first half, which was enough to see them through. Sanchez was the man who created the first goal, (along with a combination with Vidal) but he lacked the finish. It was Vargas, however, who made two goals with two touches, which is the type of reliability Chile will need in the final third should they hope to hold up their title defense. Meanwhile Diaz was the quiet gear that made the Chilean clock tick-tock. His creativity from the back was crucial for the Chilean offense, meanwhile he shielded Gonzalo Jara and Gary Medel in the back, cutting out Panamanian counter attacks. I mentioned earlier that the first two goals were started by Diaz with a pass from the back. His contribution will likely go unnoticed, however deserves appreciation. Along with Aranguiz, Diaz covered so much ground that Arturo Vidal was given the freedom to play further up the pitch, and contribute to the first two goals.
Chile plays Mexico in the quarterfinals Saturday at 10 PM EST in Santa Clara, CA.
