Argentina |
4 - 1
This match has ended. Upcoming related matches:
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Chile |
Argentina vs Chile Live Streams and TV Channels
| Country | Channels |
|---|---|
| United States | DirecTV, Dish Network |
| Other Countries | |
| Andorra | Esport3 |
| Portugal | Sport TV1 |
| Spain | Esport3 |
| *Don't see your country or favourite channel listed? Let us know and we will include it. | |
Argentina vs Chile Delayed and Repeat Broadcasts
| Country | Date/Time (US/Eastern) | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Portugal | Sat, Oct 08 9:50am | Sport TV1 |
| Sat, Oct 08 20:30pm | Sport TV1 | |
| Tue, Oct 11 12:20pm | Sport TV1 | |
| *Don't see your country or favourite channel listed? Let us know and we will include it. | ||
Argentina vs Chile Match Preview
Argentina get their World Cup qualifying campaign underway with a difficult clash against Chile at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires on Friday.
With Argentina Messi isn't even half the player he is with his Spanish club Barcelona.
The two-time world champions count with an array of international superstars, most notably Barcelona attacker Lionel Messi. The current World Player of the Year has yet to make an impact when representing his country, and this has caused much debate in his homeland. Messi, who will captain the side against Chile, will be under enormous pressure to perform at the Monumental stadium.
On Tuesday Messi took some pressure from himself by declaring: "This doesn't depend on only one [player], the national team have to put in a team effort."
He added, "We want to start from scratch in the best possible manner, with the same hope of always."
Messi will lead Argentina's attack alongside Gonzalo Higuain. Higuain has been in fine form of late, having converted a superb hat-trick as Real Madrid slaughtered Espanyol 4-0 in Spain's La Liga on Sunday. Sabella has decided to adopt a 3-5-2 formation, which he expects will allow his side to control the midfield and create goal-scoring situations for the front-men.
Like Argentina, rivals Chile, who are coached by the Argentine Claudio Borghi, also failed to make an impact at the Copa America, even though many expected them to reach the final. Since crashing out rather unexpectedly against Venezuela, the Chileans have gone four matches without a single victory.
While Chile still seem strong enough to give Argentina a run for their money, a major blow is that they will be unable to count with the services of Spanish-based players Gary Medel and Alexis Sanchez, who are both out injured. In their absence, Sporting Lisbon midfielder Matias Fernandez will be La Roja's main inspiration.
Argentina and Chile have clashed 82 times in the past, with Argentina winning 54 of the matches played while Chile only 6. However, in their last meeting in 2008, Chile scraped a 1-0 win in Santiago, a result that led to the immediate dismissal of then-national team coach Alfio Basile.
Despite the fact that both teams are still searching for their identity, Argentina are expected to claim the three points, even if it may be very difficult. Should they fail to bag their first win, plenty more questions will be asked.
Argentina vs Chile Match Report
Gonzalo Higuain converted a superb hat-trick to lift Argentina to a big win over Chile in their World Cup qualifying debut.
Messi finally put an end to a miserable spell of 16 official matches without scoring for Argentina.
Alejandro Sabella, who was making his official debut as the coach of Argentina, couldn't have imagined a better start, as his troops completely destroyed a Chile side that appeared very strong on paper.
Argentina had to wait only 7 minutes before Higuain put them ahead with a powerful finish from a Angel Di Maria cross. The Real Madrid team-mates combined to give Argentina the ideal start.
The two-time world champions looked very dangerous each time they moved forward, and in the 25th minute Lionel Messi added their second, when he met a fabulous ball from Higuain with a good finish. With the goal Messi put an end to a miserable spell of 16 official matches without scoring for his national team, dating back to March of 2009, when he found the back of the net during a World Cup qualifier against Venezuela.
The goal seemed to inspire him, as Messi came to life, and caused havoc for the Chilean defense, especially with his mazy runs from the midfield towards the attack. The slippery field, caused by the rain, didn't affect his performance one bit.
Chile tried to creep into the game towards the end of the half, but were clearly missing the absence of key player Alexis Sanchez, as they rarely looked like a menace when in the Argentina half.
Six minutes into the second half Higuain extended Argentina's lead with another good finish.
Minutes later midfielder Matias Fernandez pulled a goal back for Chile, after Argentina goalkeeper Mariano Andujar failed to clear a high cross.
However, in the 62nd minute Higuain put the result beyond Chile's reach when he completed his hat-trick, finishing neatly after combining with the ever-lively Messi.
On Tuesday, Argentina travel to Venezuela to take on the hosts, while Chile will be looking to rebound from the defeat at home to Peru.
Argentina vs Chile Videos
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