The Matches

On June 16, at 7:30 AM local time, Chile was paralyzed, cheering on men kicking a ball. We had to win this match. For thirty minutes the Chileans dominated the match against Honduras, with several chances created by playmaker Matías Fernández and inside forwards Alexis Sánchez and Jean Beausejour. 34 minutes in Fernández played a pass for midfielder Mauricio Isla, who shot a cross into the area that bounced first on defender Roger Espinoza and then came off Beausejour and into the net. The country exploded with joy as the winger of Haitian descent grinned and celebrated with his teammates.

Exactly 48 years after Eladio Rojas’s injury-time winner gave Chile the World Cup third place and its last win at the finals, the team was once again victorious.

Then came the match against Switzerland, who had shocked the world by defeating Spain. Against the defensive Swiss, Marcelo Bielsa kept his trademark attacking style, and again Chile dominated the ball and the scoring chances. Diego Benaglio, the Switzerland goalkeeper, twice frustrated the Chileans with great saves from Arturo Vidal and Carlos Carmona. On the 31st minute Valon Behrami swung his elbow into Vidal’s face while defending the ball, and received a straight red card. However, Chile still managed to exploit the few spaces their opponents allowed, but mediocre finishing let them down.

In the second half Bielsa brought on two fresh faces: Jorge Valdivia and Mark González for Arturo Vidal and the struggling Humberto Suazo. Soon enough a clever free kick ended in Sánchez hitting it clean into the net, but it was correctly flagged by the linesman after the offside González touched it on its way in.

At this point our inability to score was a serious issue. Suazo, our usual goalscorer and unfortunately the only reliable one, hadn’t played a competitive match in over a month and we had no suitable replacement. It looked like the match would end with a draw until the 75th minute.

It was then that substitute Esteban Paredes pierced the Swiss defence and surprisingly chose to make a diagonal run, skipping past the goalkeeper on the way. He stopped for a second at the edge of the area, before lobbing a perfect back post cross that connected with the head of the previously unseen González and into the net.

The joy was undermined by Paredes’s subsequent misses, but what really terrified Chile was Eren Derdiyok’s last minute strike that could easily have gone in. Images of Ivica Vastic celebrating Austria’s 90th minute equaliser in 1998, with goalie Nelson Tapia kneeled and crying, die hard.

Again, the country celebrated the win emphatically. We knew Switzerland was the key obstacle to Chile’s advance into the second round, and we let out all our anxiety with that marvellous header. I remember watching, certain that this defence was unbreakable and we were doomed to going out in the group stage. But suddenly, we were winning, and wild dreams of lifting the World Cup could flourish once more.

The final group match was against Spain, and both teams were under pressure. Spain had to win, while on the other Chile had to at least draw to secure qualification. Anything else for either team was a mess of calculations that all depended on how Switzerland did. Characteristic to his style, Bielsa went into the match with a winning disposition.

Chile played fairly well, with several chances for both teams, until the 24th minute. Before that, Spanish skill had begun to unravel the defence and as a side effect of always seeking the ball Chile committed too many fouls. Coupled with a very strict Mexican referee, three yellows were quickly handed out. Only then did the pivotal point come.

Xabi Alonso stole the ball in midfield and quickly dealt it to Torres, who advanced on the flank trailed by a lone defender. For reasons unknown Bravo thought it necessary to come way off his line to tackle the striker, which he succeeded in doing. Unfortunately the ball landed at the feet of David Villa, who does not pardon mistakes. A magnificent, left-footed strike later Spain was in front and Chile came apart.

The team did little and nothing for thirteen minutes, when Gonzalo Jara lost the ball and triggered a precise Spanish counterattack that ended in Andrés Iniesta’s goal. As if Chile didn’t have it hard enough already, Marco Estrada was red-carded for allegedly tripping Torres seconds before the goal.

In the second half Chile was much improved, but it just wasn’t enough. Rodrigo Millar’s long shot was deflected in by Gerard Piqué, a lucky strike that gave Chile some breath, but we would still be in trouble if Switzerland scored. The Spaniards apparently understood that and dedicated themselves to keeping possession for most of the second half, unwilling to risk their lead. Incapable of taking back the ball and launching an attack, Chile ended the match in uncertainty before knowing that the Swiss had drawn. We were now in Brazil’s sights and it surely was not going to be pleasant.

Chile has not beaten Brazil in ten years, and bearing in mind that we tend to play each other at least once a year this fact becomes relevant. Bielsa’s style clashes and unfortunately loses against Dunga’s pragmatic counter-attacks, but if he weren’t stubborn he wouldn’t be Bielsa.

Chile again played a fair match until being a goal down, which marked the end of the creative spark that fueled the team’s attacks. 3-0 reflected Brazil’s dominance, but not Chile’s tenacity. For the third time in a World Cup, Brazil ended our adventure and sent us home.

The Players

There were several players whom I think shined above the rest in this World Cup and who deserve special recognition.

Waldo Ponce: A solid central defender who can also act as sweeper, this man’s only shortcoming were silly fouls that earned him a ban against Brazil. Very good performance, he was especially good at rendering void the other team’s aerial ability.

Carlos Carmona: A quiet defensive midfielder, he performed consistently despite being banned against Spain. A ball winner, he picked out good passes for the wingers and playmaker.

Gary Medel:  Despite his short stature (1.71m), Medel is a very good in the air, and he displayed that quality throughout the tournament. His runs along the flank and link-ups with Isla were also crucial for a continous attacking style.

Jean Beausejour: Beausejour doesn’t usually shine and didn’t impress me much during the qualifiers, but in the friendlies leading up to the World Cup and in the tournament itself his vast improvements in performance were clear. In addition to his pace and skill, his finishing and crossing is much better. He’s also less selfish with the ball, which is why I think he did better than Alexis Sánchez.

Mauricio Isla: For me the best Chilean player at this World Cup, though I didn’t think much of him before. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with his form and his ability to create chances down the wing, a quality he hadn’t fully displayed before. At only 21 years old I wouldn’t be surprised to see him leave Udinese for a bigger club soon.

The Future

With a very young squad, Chile can look calmly forward to the 2014 qualifiers. Some changes will be needed though, foremost among them the inclusion of a new quality striker, as both Suazo and Paredes are 29 and probably won’t be available next time.

Furthermore, Bielsa’s future is uncertain. Harold Mayne-Nicholls, President of the Federation, wants to keep him here until the 2015 Copa América, which will be held in Chile. Bielsa is completely unpredictable, though, so there’s no point in speculating.

What is beneficial is looking for alternatives, and amongst them are Manuel Pellegrini, current Paraguay manager Gerardo Martino and Bielsa’s assistant Eduardo Berizzo. Either way the future is bright lest we lapse into mediocrity, which after Bielsa’s revolutionary changes seems unlikely.

Final Thoughts

Chile had a good World Cup, as far as our expectations and capabilities go. We won a match after a very long time, we went into the second round and we lost to Brazil. No shame in that, as far as I can see.

However, I think our gain was much more than just participating in a World Cup. This time the prize was the journey, not the final product.

In 2007 the Chilean national team was miserable. We had been last in the qualifiers in 2002, seventh in 2006, Brazil had eliminated us from the Copa América with a 6-1 thrashing and there were severe disciplinary problems in the squad. The coach resigned, and Marcelo Bielsa was brought in. He started from nothing, quickly discarding most of the old team and bringing in young stars.

The 2010 qualifiers began and no one really believed we could do it. As we jumped up and down the standings, this new team started to gather more followers and believers until the turning point, on October 16th 2008, when Chile met Argentina on home territory. I remember getting a haircut earlier that day and the barber asking whether we stood a chance of winning. Of course I said no. Chile had never beaten Argentina in official competition. He stood by his opinion, saying he trusted in this team, and his words rang true several hours later.

Minute 35. Beausejour runs down the middle, plays for Carmona. Carmona plays it to Medel, who runs deeps into the right flank. A diagonal, backwards cross and Fabián Orellana, a small-club, unknown player, hits the ball into the net. The match ends 1-0 and Orellana earns his place in history. That was the point in which we all realized this was for real, that we could make it this time. It’s moments like those that make me feel genuinely privileged.

This entire process broke all sorts of records. We beat Peru in Lima after 25 years, Paraguay in Asunción after 20. We earned our first point ever in Uruguay. And we qualified second, amid celebrations that haven’t been as wild as the time we last qualified, and in 1988 when Pinochet’s dictatorship was democratically overthrown. Our nation was united.

Far more than just the World Cup, this whole journey, this whole dream of ours, was beautiful.

Santiago Irribarra is a guest writer for Just-Football.com, focussing on football in Chile.

(photo #1 credit: autophen on Flickr)

(photo #2 credit: Articularnos on Flickr, taken by Jeff Mitchell)