Chile is set to take on Northern Ireland to continue their preparations for the World Cup.
Chile’s choice of opposition was a tad strange in their previous match; they took on Egypt. Egypt has done well historically in their own continent but recently has not been the force they were previously. This did not stop the game from being highly competitive nonetheless. Chile might surprise a few opponents in the upcoming World Cup; however, against Egypt, they were the ones who were shocked by the early exchanges.
Chile dominated early on but a mistake in midfield saw them a goal down by the twelfth minute. An intercepted pass saw the ball played to Chelsea star Mohammed Salah who made no mistake in putting it past the keeper. Roughly four minutes later, a long ball played from the opposition half entirely bypassed the Chileans in midfield and found Khaled Kamar who chipped the keeper to add a second. Chile had to find a way to turn this match around.
Ten minutes later, Chile found a special answer. A horizontal pass by Alexis Sanchez was picked up by Marcelo Diaz; Diaz’s attempted scissor kick turned out to be a perfect one as the ball rattled the back of the net. Alex Sanchez set up Eduardo Vargas with a wonderful looping pass on the hour mark; Vargas levelled the scores. This pairing also combined for the winner, roughly 13 minutes before the end of the match. Sanchez found Vargas with a vertical defense splitting pass which never left the ground; Vargas lifted the ball into goal, escaping the attention of three defenders in the process
Chile, in a nutshell, showed exactly who they are. Their defensive problems were there for all to see in the early minutes but they provided a masterclass in attacking football. Their opponents, Northern Ireland, will have to be sharp defensively; they are coming into this one on the back of a 1-0 defeat to Uruguay.
Can Chile add another win to their name?
Where to watch the match: Live Streams, Live Scores, Start Times, TV Channels:
Watch Chile vs Northern Ireland live on Wednesday, June 4, 2014:
In Canada at 20:00 ET on beIN Sports Play Canada
In the USA at 20:00 ET on beIN Sports Play
Viewers in Chile can tune into Fox Sports Cono Sur to watch the match.
For the complete TV listings and live scores upon kick-off, visit the Chile-Northern Ireland match page.
