In Marseille, the team led by Ricardo Gareca lost 3-2 against the Blues. However, the operation and proposal left some good feelings in the burgeoning All-Team Tiger era. Marcelino Núñez and Darío Osorio scored.
The FIFA date has passed. The Chilean team played its first two matches under the orders of Ricardo Gareca, with a balance between victory and defeat . Beyond the results, La Roja took away something to add optimism for the future: they were a competitive team again (an aspect just as important as winning). After the match against Albania, the obstacle increased further against France, vice-world champion. In Marseille, the national team lost 3-2, but it left sensations that invite us to look at the glass half full.
“Spicier than expected.” This sentence made the front page of the newspaper L’Equipe this Tuesday, announcing a friendly match which took on a different temperature over the days, particularly after the defeat of the Gauls against Germany. After 13 years, the French and Chileans faced each other again. Claudio Bravo, Mauricio Isla and Alexis Sánchez remain from that team that drew at Montpellier in 2011. The goalkeeper retained his position, relegating Brayan Cortés. Gareca repeated in the eleventh match against Albania. For its part, Blues They made nine changes.
The Chilean coach himself said, once he took office, that he had come to win, to achieve goals. This goes hand in hand with endowing the team with that competitive gene which it enjoyed during its most brilliant period and which it lost at least five years ago. And a high-level requirement like facing a top team (the second most expensive in the world, with a valuation of 1.222 million euros) served this purpose, with the consequent risk that this entails.
The start of the match in Marseille recalled the best repertoire of La Roja, the one who shone during the double American championship. The first quarter of an hour saw Chile with their ball handling and personality, do not give up space to a dislocated rival. The culmination of this positive start came with Marcelino Núñez’s superb goal, in six minutes. A combination between Alexis and Isla ended with a cross shot from the Norwich midfielder. Chilean audacity in Gallic lands marked the meeting.
The 4-2-3-1 This stands out as the matrix design, with Alexis Sánchez floating, moving freely on the offensive, as Gareca had condemned. On the defensive side, when France began to assert itself, La Roja presented itself with two lines of four. Osorio and Dávila did this work on the wings. An uncomfortable France gradually began to appear. Fortunately for him, he found equality while the procedure was for La Roja. In the 18th minute, Fofana’s shot deflected slightly off Lichnovsky and entered Bravo’s goal. The reaction of the Betis goalkeeper, somewhat covered, was slow.
A burst of Gauls allows them to defeat the duel. Seven minutes after the equalizer, a Kolo Muani header combined with a Theo Hernández cross to make it 2-1. The attacker beats Suazo on the vault and hits a header that leaves Bravo unresponsive. In this duel, compared to the few interventions against Albania, the long inactivity of the experienced goalkeeper in Spain, due to injury, was noticed.
Whatever the result, Chile continued with their idea of ball control and associated play, using the wings to go further. In this sense, the almost automatic understanding between Isla and Sánchez has been beneficial on the right side of the attack. It was also a point in favor that Mbappé was absent, without space to start and energize his sprinting abilities. The national brand has been effective. Gareca did not change sides for the central defenders. He kept Lichnovsky on the right and Paulo Díaz on the left.
Even if the numbers indicated that possession belonged to France, the reality is that Chile knew how to manage the ball with precision to create danger for the Europeans. Eduardo Vargas didn’t get into the offensive circuit as much, but he was on the verge of equalizing. In the 50th minute, a header from “Turboman” hit the post, the Maignan goalkeeper being pinned on the line.
Giroud’s 3-1 came with a bucket of cold water. An overflow from Kolo Muani upset the Chilean defense. It’s a great reward for a France which showed its best face little by little. 10′ from the end, Darío Osorio fired a powerful shot from the outside and beat Maignan to reduce the gap and better reflect what happened on the pitch. One of the criticisms leveled at Gareca is that he made the changes late. If they were before, they could freshen up a very demanding cast.
Between Albania and France, 180 minutes invite optimism in the face of the challenges of the future, the Copa América and especially the Qualifiers.
Match sheet
France 3 : Mr. Maignan; J. Clauss (11′, J. Koundé), W. Saliba, I. Konaté, T. Hernández; Y. Fofana, A. Tchouaméni, E. Camavinga (44′, M. Guendouzi); R. Kolo Muani (83′, M. Diaby), O. Giroud (83′, M. Thuram) and K. Mbappé. DT: D. Deschamps.
Chile 2 : C. Bravo; M. Isla (87′, N. Fernández), I. Lichnovsky (87′, M. Catalán), P. Díaz, G. Suazo; R. Echeverría (76′, E. Pavez), M. Núñez (88′, C. Pérez); D. Osorio, A. Sánchez (77′, M. Bolados), V. Dávila; and E. Vargas (67′, B. Brereton). DT: R. Gareca.
Goals : 0-1, 6′, Núñez, cross shot after a back pass from Isla; 1-1, 18′, Fofana, shot from outside the area; 2-1, 25′, Kolo Muani, header after a cross from Hernández; 3-1, 72′, Giroud, defines in the area after the overflow of Kolo Muani; 3-2, 82′, Osorio, with a shot from outside the area.
Arbitrator : A. Taylor (ING). No warning.
Stade Vélodrome, Marseille (France). Around 50,000 people took part.
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Source: Latercera
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
