Captain Martín Sigren, Francisco Urroz and Vittorio Lastra review minute by minute a duel that will go down in the history of the discipline. From the initial suffering to the joy of qualifying for the 2023 World Cup in France.
The Denver sun hits the faces of the Condors. It is around 1 p.m. local time (two hours more in Chile) and the team led by the Uruguayan Pablo Lemoine embarks on the feat. Facing the United States, this same rival who was absent only once from a World Cup (1995), and who had beaten Chile in six games out of seven, the fifteenth national will try to qualify for the first time in the competition which will bring together the 20 best countries in the world. France 2023, in sight.
Pablo Lemoine, coach with a recognized background, surprised with his alignment. He sent a mix of players onto the pitch, with several of his best men remaining for the 40-minute second half. Matías Dittus, Augusto Bohme, Javier Carrasco and Clemente Saavedra watched from the bench as their teammates attempted to kick off.
The first minutes for Chile were tough. Perhaps the heat (36°), or the same pressure from the five thousand local supporters who came to support Las Águilas, spent the bill. A try from Iosefo and excellent play from MacGinty left the hosts 7-0 down before 10 minutes.
The Condors looked blurry. They were unable to find fluidity and the locals took advantage of each national error. The United States continued to widen the gap and with seven minutes remaining in the first half, Las Águilas were leading 19-0. The result seemed doomed. However, a few minutes later, a play changed the course of the game.
From the United States, the protagonists of the exploit of the Chilean team review the most complex moments of the match. However, beyond the advantage, they confess to never having felt that the game had ever been snatched from them.
“The game quickly got out of control. We saw each other 20-0 overall. It was necessary to score 22 points, more than three converted tries to turn the tide. But that at no time made him give up, lose faith.” remember Martin Sigren Captain of the Condors.
“They started much better than us, more focused. Down 19-0, it’s getting pretty tough. It’s obvious that we came out to win from the first minute, but 19-0 things start to get complicated. It was difficult at the time, but we never lost faith and confidence in the work we were doing. But we always remained calm, despite our 19-0 ″, adds Francisco Urroz.
Victor Lastra also adds to the idea of his peers. “They started attacking us, us without the ball, without possession. Although at one point it was hard to hold on to something because things weren’t going well for us, the process didn’t teach us that matches are 80 minutes long” complements.
During those moments of terror, Los Cóndores never lost the union that characterizes them. “We said to ourselves that we had to keep going, keep going, running, moving our legs, attacking. Only motivational words that gave us air and helped us plan the game at that moment”, Lastra explains.
However, there was one game that changed that. The American’s penalty, which meant a yellow card for Nick Civetta, gave a drastic turn to the game . From this game are born the first points, after a great annotation of Marcelo Torrealba. Then Santiago Videla, after a few minutes, managed to add seven units.
“The yellow card they give them is a turning point in the game. I also think that our tries come from very colourful, very good individual games, and they have marked something very positive in the team. want to keep playing, Lastra warns.
Already at the break, with a 19-14 difference, Chile went out to seek a place in the World Cup. Lemoine ordered the entry of Matías Dittus, Augusto Bohme, Javier Carrasco and Clemente Saavedra.
“Lemoine had a well-thought-out strategy and believed in it a lot. He had a two-stroke strategy. Left with a more dynamic team, trying to hold the score. It didn’t go like that, but at the end of the first half, we managed to get closer. Later, in the second half, he started the substitutions and there was always talk that the bench was going to win the game. He asked us to trust the strategy, to apply it and to continue because it was going to work”, confides Sigren.
“In the dressing room we talked and we knew they had their weaknesses. Somehow the result fell apart quickly, but we couldn’t do anything. We didn’t play our game, we couldn’t attack them. The faith was not lost because we hadn’t tested them, we hadn’t tried them”, adds the captain of Los Cóndores.
The Condors, beyond the strategy they followed to the letter, noticed the fatigue of the North Americans who left from the first minute with their best men. “In the dressing room we said that they already looked tired, that they looked overwhelmed, after all the work they had done in the first few minutes. The message in the locker room was to keep working on it, to keep going around, because we felt they were there and at some point it had to happen” recognizes Urroz.
Already in the second half, the Cóndores showed a different order on the field of play. The United States began to feel the wear and tear of basing their entire plan on fifteen players. “I felt that they were under pressure, that they were starting to make mistakes. Our kicks where they were jumpy and dropped. We had the impression that they had the pressure of the match and we knew how to get them, ”says Lastra, released in the second half.
Sigren adds to his partner’s remarks. “When we attacked them we felt very comfortable. There were gaps, his defense was not from another planet. And you had to have the head and the temperance to defend and not continue to tear them away from us, ”he admits.
Already at the end of the game, the Cóndores managed to overturn the score after a superb play by Santiago Videla. At that time, the Chilean team was leading by two points (29-31) and began to prepare for the dream of going to the World Cup.
“In these decisive moments when we remember all the sacrifices, all the people from whom we have moved away or from whom we have seen little to devote ourselves to it. It helps you get back up and keep fighting. said the captain.
“Today more than ever, we remember all the efforts we have made over the years to stay in the race. These examples are where you look back and see the whole journey. And even more when the results are given and it is possible to qualify for a World Cup,” adds Urroz.
“When it was difficult, when there are only a few minutes left, you remember everything that has been experienced, all the effort, and it is the best essence for the body, to keep pushing, to play. This is one of the strengths of this team”, concludes Lastra.
Chile, after always struggling from behind, given the defeat in the first leg, in the duel disputed in Santa Laura, had its price. The Cóndores, after overcoming a series of trials, including giving the best of themselves physically and mentally, achieved the feat and entered the World Cup. France 2023 awaits you. They are historical.
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Source: Latercera
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
