The midfielder started the match even before Andrés Matonte’s initial whistle. In Buenos Aires, all the local prejudices were against him.
Arturo Vidal jumped onto the pitch of the Más Monumental stadium and his presence was noticed. When the fans recognized him, a loud whistle was heard, accompanied by an offensive chant against the steering wheel. “Chilean broken ass,” they chanted from the stands. The national footballer did not hesitate to respond. He put his hands to his ears and asked them to turn up the volume. In Buenos Aires, he has not been forgiven for his statements of last week. “I have more titles than all of River,” he said. Even his subsequent explanations were not enough to avoid hostility during the match where Colo Colo said goodbye to the Copa Libertadores.
His remarks also earned him criticism from a historian of the Cacique. “It wouldn’t occur to me to say something like that. It’s great, having practically two neurons. A player can’t say that, he incites violence that exacerbates rival fans. And we Chileans are more hateful these days for these kinds of statements,” he said. Leonardo Veliz as a prelude to the game. It was clear that the man from San Joaquin was going to be one of the protagonists of the day.
The match began and the midfielder tried to imbue his teammates with his characteristic attitude. But he could not show the same level as in the first leg. He was more covered and when Marcelo Gallardo’s men recovered the ball, they prevented the King’s deployment from causing damage. Vidal ran from one side to the other. When he touched the ball, they missed it. When I went to the ground, they called for a foul. When he passed Franco Armani in a feint, they laughed at him. “Oleee,” was heard from the stands. With the goalkeeper, the former Juventus player had a unique match. In Argentina, he was criticized for the fact that the historic scorer has a longer list of achievements than him, after his controversial statements.
Additionally, King was stuck in River’s goal. It was in the 16th minute that Santigo Simón recovered a second ball that he put into the area and Facundo Colidió attacked alone to beat Brayan Cortés. Goalkeeper Leonardo Gil and Alan Saldivia called for offside. However, it was Vidal who did not leave his position and allowed the transandean striker from almost a meter. The former Bayern Munich player, aware of his mistake, did not join the protests of his teammates.
In the second half, the tone between the players did not change. River slowed down in intensity, but Colo Colo was not about to do any damage. A single shot from Zavala scared the crowd. Vidal tried to take center stage. But that was not enough. He even received a reprimand. He ran until the final whistle, with the captain’s jumper in his arms after Pavez left, when his great dream of the season ended. One that had already become a reality at Flamengo, in his first season in South America, but that in Chile had the added seasoning of the importance he had at Macul.
After the final whistle, a fight broke out with a group of players who had come to confront him. The former Barcelona player responded with gestures as he retreated to the locker room. Faced with the public’s jeers, the midfielder made flat gestures and other provocations.
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.
