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| Barcelona winger Alexis Sanchez reacts after scoring the opening goal against Australia |
Chile gained
a 3-1 victory over Australia,
with the underdogs almost making a sensational comeback after falling two goals
down early.
Australia had gotten off to a poor start, as goals from
Alexis Sanchez and Jorge Valdivia saw them trail 2-0 after 14 minutes, but Tim
Cahill scored at his third World
Cup to get his side back into the game. They went close several
times in the second half, before Jean Beausejour eventually made things secure
for Chile in injury time.
Chile sent out a bizarre lineup, but it looked as though they
were going to steamroll Australia in the opening spell. They took just 12
minutes to take the lead, and Australia did themselves no favours, with defence
and goalkeeper all at sea to allow Sanchez to score with a simple finish. Just
70 seconds later Chile made it two: Sanchez turned provider to find Jorge
Valdivia on the edge of the area, and the playmaker curled a brilliant effort
home that gave Mat Ryan no chance.
The South Americans were looking like crushing their
opponents and it seemed only a matter of how many goals they would get. Yet as
much as Chile were dominant, the decision to field two diminutive full-backs as
a centre-back pairing against a team whose strategy mostly revolves around
crossing to a striker who is strong in the air came back to haunt them. Cahill
easily climbed above Gary Medel to meet Ivan Franjic's cross and fired in a
brilliant header to give Australia a way back into the game.
In the second half, Chile would have been expected to resume
their onslaught, but it was Australia who turned on the style. Howard once
again had the ball in the net, but was rightly called offside, as the underdogs
continued to threaten. Chances became fewer and fewer between in the game, but
Chile were incredibly forced back ever deeper as Australia grew into the game,
forcing them into their own area for long spells.
Cahill simply wasn't being dealt with by Chile, and he
perhaps ought to have had a second, but landed another header onto the roof of
the net, as Australia's opponents became noticeably nervous and jittery, with
Matthew Leckie also missing a decent aerial chance.
In the end, however, Chile were able to hang on for the three
points, and wrapped up their victory in injury time when Beausejour took
advantage of a desperate Australia to break and unleash a long-range shot,
which got past Ryan and into the net.
Although Australia will be third in the group, they're ahead
of the current world champions, Spain. Chile will need to reassess themselves
after having their weaknesses so widely exploited in the second half, and will
just be glad to get out of the game alive. Australia, meanwhile, have much to
be proud about their performance, but if they were going to get out of the
group, this was their opportunity.
Chile: Bravo, Isla, Medel, Jara, Mena, Diaz, Vidal (Gutierrez 60'),
Aranguiz, Valdivia (Beausejour 68'), Sanchez, Vargas (Pinilla 84').
