Chile reach Copa America final with 2-1 victory
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Eduardo Vargas was the hero for Chile as his double ensured his country’s place in the final of the Copa America. Peru put up a good fight despite being reduced to 10 men early on in the game, but were ultimately undone by a magnificent strike from Vargas in the 64th minute.
The first chance of the game fell to Vargas in the 4th minute. Jorge Valdivia released the striker with a good pass but his effort was blocked by Carlos Ascues inside the area.
Arturo Vidal was involved in an altercation with Carlos Zambrano early on, as Vidal raised his hand and made contact with Zambrano’s face. The referee was lenient and did not show Vidal a red card, which was a huge let-off for the hosts, as on another day, the referee could have easily dismissed Vidal.
Jefferson Farfan came close to putting Peru into the lead in the 9th minute, after Paulo Guerrero sent in a cross from the left hand side and Farfan powerfully directed a header towards goal. However, he was denied by the post.
Zambrano was sent off in the 20th minute after the defender left his foot in after a clearance and his studs went into the back of Charles Aranguiz. Peru now faced an uphill battle against Chile who had the man advantage, which was a big blow for them, as they looked the better of the two sides in the opening stages.
Valdivia came extremely close to opening the scoring for Chile, finding himself in space on the edge of the box, but his curled effort towards goal just missed the target, Chile looking more dangerous now against the ten man Peru. Vargas finally put Chile a goal up in the 42nd minute. Alexis Sanchez cut in front from the left hand side and unleashed a strike on goal. The ball rebounded off the post and fell to Vargas at the far post who only had to tap the ball home.
Chile taking the lead just before half time left Peru with it all to do in the second half to keep their hopes of a place in the final alive.
Farfan came close to leveling for Peru in the 54th minute, as the Schalke man got on the end of a cross from the right hand side, but he could only find Claudio Bravo with his header, a big opportunity missed for Peru.
Peru did manage to equalize in the 60th minute, Luis Advincula sent in a cross from the right hand side that was poked home by Chilean Gary Medel, bringing Peru back on level terms. To be fair to Medel, Farfan was there for the finish, so the deflection was unavoidable.
It did not take long for Chile to retake the lead, and Vargas restored the lead by scoring an incredible goal from distance. The striker picked the ball up 30 yards out and unleashed a powerful effort. The ball dipped and found the far corner, triggering a joyous celebration both on and off the pitch, as Chilean players and fans were in raptures.
Chile had numerous chances to kill the game off, with Sanchez coming closest as he was fed through by Valdivia. The Arsenal forward’s effort sailed over the bar, wasting a superb pass from the midfielder.
The host nation advances to the finals of the Copa America for the first time in 28 years, eliminating Los Incas. Eduardo Vargas’ wonder goal, a strike worthy of winning any game, ended up being the difference between the sides. Chile will face the winner of the other semifinal between Argentina and Paraguay, and are now just one step away from winning the competition for the first time, on their own soil, to boot.