Saturday 12th June
12:30 South Korea v Greece
15:00 Argentina v Nigeria
19:30 England v USA
12:30 South Korea v Greece
15:00 Argentina v Nigeria
19:30 England v USA
Friday, June 11, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Brazil v Chile (2010 World Cup qualifier)
Betting Match Preview: Brazil v Chile (2010 World Cup qualifier)
Brazil v Chile, 2010 World Cup qualifier, September 10, 2009Brazil 1/2; Draw 3/1; Chile 6/1
The equation for Chile is simple ahead of their meeting with the Samba Boys. Win, and confirm qualification to the 2010 World Cup.
After a decade of disappointment, the arrival of Argentinean coach Marcelo Bielsa has seen a huge transformation in Chilean football. La Roja are now a solid, well-oiled unit who have looked impressive throughout qualification by fusing a high temp style with dominating possession in the middle of the park and pressing their opponents down the flanks.
That said, playing against arguably the best team in world football at present, Chile will have to reassess their tactics particularly with respect to their defensive organisation. Mindful of the 3-nil drumming to Dunga’s side in Santiago last year, Bielsa will probably line up his charges with a flat-back four, welcoming central defender Waldo Ponce back from suspension to play alongside the highly-rated Gary Medel (7/1 to score).
Having both scored on Saturday against Venezuela, Mauricio Isla and Rodigo Millar (6/1 to score) will both be looking to get the nod against Brazil, while in the final third the Chileans can boast an exciting front-four with Matias Fernandez and Jorge Valdivia looking to support out-and-out strikers Alexis Sanchez (5/1 to score) and Humberto Suazo (9/1 to score first).
Optimism around a Chilean victory is also boosted by the selection headaches facing Dunga.
Manchester City’s Robinho has been ruled out of the match after bruising his right leg in the victory over Argentina last weekend. There is also a doubt over Elano (9/4 to score) , who is reported to have picked up a foot problem. Completing the absentees, Kaka, Luis Fabiano, Lucio and Ramires will all miss out having picked up suspensions.
Accordingly, Dunga has been left with a squad of just 17 fit players, with Nilmar (6/1 to score & Brazil to win) and Adriano (9/2 to score & Brazil to win) the only two remaining strikers left in the squad. Should Adriano play, it will be the first time in over a year that the Flamengo striker has started for his country.
To offset the missing in action, Dunga has called up four players to squad, with Andre Dias, Cleiton Xavier, Diego Souza or Diego Tardelli all looking to stake a claim for a place at the World Cup in South Africa.
Dunga’s silver lining is found with Brazil’s defensive options. So far in qualifying Brazil have proved miserly at the back, conceding just seven goals in 15 qualifying matches. Julio Cesar is proving himself to be one of the best goalies in world football, while Maicon, Luisao and Andre Santos form a solid defensive base. And, with Gilberto Silva and Felipe Melo (7/1 to score) sitting as two deep-lying midfielders in the centre of the park, Chile will be forced to work extra hard to find an opening in the home defence.
After a difficult start to qualification, including a defeat to Paraguay and goalless draws with Argentina, Colombia and Bolivia, Brazil have come back in recent months to record a 10-game consecutive winning streak, as well as boasting an 18-game unbeaten run in all competitions. Riding a wave of momentum, even with all their selection problems pre-match, Brazil will undoubtedly be favourites to collect another three points on Wednesday night.
101predicts: Brazil 3 - Chile 1 (10/1)
Real Zaragoza's Chilean striker Humberto 'Chupete'
United front: Real Zaragoza's Chilean striker Humberto 'Chupete' Suazo shows his support for the victims of his country's earthquake Photo: EPA
The 8.8-registered earthquake on Feb 27 is estimated to have killed more than 800 people.
The sporting calendar has survived in Chile, however, with last weekend’s Davis Cup tie with Israel going ahead and a restructured domestic football championship set to resume this weekend.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Chile national football team 2010
The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international footballcompetitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in seven World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in third place.
The Federación de Fútbol de Chile second oldest South American federation, with 114 years of existence. Its foundation dates back to 19 June 1895 in the port city of Valparaiso. Its first President was David Scott.[3]
Chile is one of the four founding member nations of CONMEBOL which include Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. The members established the South American footballing organization on 9 July 1916.[4] The four associations enacted and participated in the first held South American Championship which would later be re-named the Copa America.
Chile is one of the original thirteen national teams that competed in the inaugural 1930 World Cup. They started off well beating Mexico and France without conceding a goal. A 3-1 loss to Argentina in their final game left them in second place within the group, eliminating them from the tournament. In the 1950 World Cup, Chile was eliminated in the first round but defeated theUnited States 5-2.
Their best World Cup result was a third place finish in 1962, when Chile was the host nation. Chile lost 4-2 to eventual champions Brazil in a semifinals match. Chile went on to defeatYugoslavia 1-0 for third place.
Many historical incidences have occurred while Chile has been involved in World Cup competition. The first player to miss a World Cup penalty kick was Guillermo Subiabre in a 1930 FIFA World Cup match against France.[5] Carlos Caszely of Chile became the first player to be officially sent off with a red card in a 1974 World Cup game, during their match against West Germany. Red cards were formally introduced in World Cup play in 1970, but no players were sent off in that tournament.
In Olympic tournament play, Chile's best result was the Bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, with striker Ivan Zamorano the competition's top scorer.[2]
Chile has also attained bronze medals in both the U-17 World Cup held in Japan and the U-20 World Cup in Canada. The 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship hosted in Chile had the national team finishing in fourth place.
Notable past Chilean players include Guillermo Subiabre, Sergio Livingstone, George Robledo, Enrique Hormazabal, Leonel Sánchez, Elías Figueroa, Carlos Caszely, Marcelo Salas and Ivan Zamorano.
[edit]World Cup history
[edit]1930 World Cup
Main article: 1930 FIFA World Cup
At the first ever FIFA World Cup held inUruguay 1930, Chile was to be among the first of thirteen nations invited to participate in the inaugural tournament.[5]
The manager in charge of the Chilean national team was the young Hungarian György Orth. Chile was part of Group 1 that included national teams such as Argentina, Mexico, andFrance.
Chile had an impressive start defeating the Mexican national team by a score of 3-0 on 16 July, then beating France 1-0 on 19 July. Sharing the same amount of points, the decisive game was against the neighboring country of Argentina. The game was played on 22 July at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay. The game ended 3-1 in Argentina's favor, and the scoreline prevented Chile from qualifying onto the second round.
[edit]1950 World Cup
Main article: 1950 FIFA World Cup
The 1950 edition of the FIFA World Cup was held in the South American country of Brazil. The Chilean national team manager at the tournament was Alberto Bucciardi, while the team captain was the starting goal keeper Sergio Livingstone. "La Roja" were located in group 2 and Chile eventually lost their first two games against Spain and England by the similar score of 2-0. The last match was played with theUnited States where Chile went on to win by a score of 5-2, even though it was not to be enough for Chile in advancing onto the next round of the tournament.
[edit]1962 World Cup
Main article: 1962 FIFA World Cup
The 1962 World Cup in Chile was to be the third World Cup hosted on South American soil. In 1960 the Great Chilean Earthquake would strike the country with the highest recorded magnitude in world history of 9.5 on the Richter scale.[6] Despite the natural disaster plans went as followed for Chile to be the host nation of this World Cup tournament.
The host country won their first match against Switzerland by 3-1. The second match against Italy (2-0) became known as the Battle of Santiago. Although only two players were sent off by the English referee Ken Aston, the match saw repeated, deliberate attempts from players on both sides to harm opponents, and the teams needed police protection to leave the field in safety. Years later Ken Aston went on to invent the yellow and red cards used in football.[7]
Chile defeated European champions USSR that included Lev Yashin to land themselves a semi-final game against the defending World Champions Brazil but a capacity crowd of 76,600 watched Brazil beat the hosts 4-2. This game saw Garrincha sent off for Brazil and Landa sent off for Chile. Chile eventually went on to take third place in a 1-0 victory over Yugoslavia in the playoff.
The team is said to have eaten Swiss cheese before beating Switzerland, spaghetti before beating Italy, and drank vodka before beating the USSR. They also drank coffee before the match against Brazil, although they did not win that match. This was Chile's best performance in a World Cup.[8]
[edit]1966 World Cup
Main article: 1966 FIFA World Cup
England was the stage for the eighth World Cup. It was also to be the first European World Cup that Chile would participate in. Qualifying for the 1966 edition ended with a play-off between Ecuador in Lima, Peru on 12 October 1965. The current Chilean manager at the time Francisco Hormazabal decided to resign from that position. Chile immediately needed a replacement, and Luis Alamos would take the reins of the national team. The match against Ecuador finished 2-1 in Chile's favor, both goals scored by Leonel Sanchez and Ruben Marcos, and the result secured Chile's World Cup berth.
Chile was unable to repeat the same success found in the previous World Cup of 1962. Among the nations congregated in group 4 which included the Soviet Union, Italy, and North Korea, Chile was only able to gain 1 point with a 1-1 draw against North Korea. Chile scored two goals in the 1966 World Cup both coming from Ruben Marcos.
[edit]1974 World Cup
Main article: 1974 FIFA World Cup
Chile qualified for Deutschland 74 after a controversial play-off with the USSR. Following a drawn first leg in Moscow, the Soviets refused to play the second leg at the Estadio Nacional in Santiago, which had been used as a concentration camp by the military dictatorship ofPinochet. However, FIFA refused to switch the match to a neutral venue, and the Soviets refused to fly to Santiago. The Chilean players kicked off on an otherwise empty pitch, scored into the unguarded USSR net, and because there was no opposition to restart the game, the referee awarded the match to Chile, ensuring they qualified for the 1974 finals.
At the tournament itself, Chile lost their opening game 1-0 to West Germany in Berlin, thanks to a long-range shot from Paul Breitner. StrikerCarlos Caszely was controversially sent off in the second half.
Guided by coach Luis Alamos, Chile then fought out a 1-1 draw with East Germany, again in Berlin. Martin Hoffmann put the GDR ahead, butSergio Ahumada equalised with 20 minutes left. Finally, they got another draw, this time a goalless one, against Australia, which eliminated both teams.
[edit]1982 World Cup
Main article: 1982 FIFA World Cup
At España 82, the Chileans performed poorly with an aging team in which Carlos Caszely and the 35-year-old central defender Elias Figueroa were still the main men. Guided by coach Luis Santibañezthey lost their first game 1-0 to Austria in Oviedo, Walter Schachner scoring the only goal midway through the first half. Caszely missed a penalty soon afterwards.[9]
Chile were then beaten 4-1 in Gijón by a Karl-Heinz Rummenigge-inspired West Germany, with goalkeeper Mario Osbén making a couple of costly errors; Gustavo Moscoso grabbed a late consolation goal. Finally, against Algeria, Chile were overrun in the first half and went in at half-time 3-0 behind, but managed to save some face with second-half goals from Miguel Neira and Juan Carlos Letelier.[10][11]
[edit]Disqualification and banishment from the 1990 & 1994 World Cups
La Roja's most infamous moment known as The Roberto Rojas Scandal (also known in Chile as the "Maracanazo") occurred on 3 September 1989. During a 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifying match at Rio de Janeiro's Maracanã stadium, Brazil led Chile 1-0. A defeat for Chile would eliminate them from the tournament. At around the 67-minute mark, Chilean goalkeeper Roberto "Cóndor" Rojas fell to the pitch with an apparent injury to his forehead. A firework, thrown from the stands by a Brazilian fan named Rosemary de Mello, was smouldering about a yard away. After carrying Rojas off the pitch, the Chilean players and coaches refused to return claiming conditions were not safe. The match went unfinished.
After studying video footage of the match showing that the firework had not made contact with Rojas, FIFA awarded Brazil a 2-0 win (eliminating Chile from the 1990 World Cup). The team was banned from the qualifiers of the 1994 Football World Cup, and Rojas was banned for life[12] (although an amnesty was granted in 2001).
[edit]1998 World Cup
Main article: 1998 FIFA World Cup
Chile qualified for the World Cup in France in 1998 having been banned from entering the 1994 tournament. They were drawn in Group B, along with Italy, Cameroon and Austria. With much expected of their strike partnership of Marcelo Salas and Iván Zamorano, Chile drew impressively with Italy in Bordeaux in their opening match, 2-2, with Salas scoring both goals in reply to Christian Vieri's opener.[13] The game was most noted for Roberto Baggio's late equalizer for Italy with an extremely controversial penalty, banishing memories of his fatal miss in the 1994 final against Brazil in Los Angeles. But due to this bad performance, the referee Lucien Bouchardeau from Niger was dismissed from further matches during the WC.
Chile drew their next two matches 1-1. The first was a cagey game with Austria in St-Étienne. Salas opened the scoring with a disputed goal scored from close range (the Austrians protested his shot never crossed the line), but Austria, as they had in their first match againstCameroon, equalised in the last minute, Ivica Vastic scoring a spectacular long-range effort.[14]
Against Cameroon in Nantes five days later, José Luis Sierra's free-kick gave Chile the lead, but the Africans fought back strongly and equalised with a header from Patrick Mboma. Despite having Rigobert Song and Lauren Etame Mayer sent off[15], Cameroon played a good second half, but Chile was able to keep the result.
Italy had been the only team to win in the group, so Chile's unbeaten record took them into the last 16, and a tie with South American rivalsBrazil at the Parc des Princes in Paris. The Brazilians took Chile to pieces in the first half, despite Zamorano's superb performance (the footage of him passionately singing the national anthem prior to kick-off was one of the most enduring images of the tournament). César Sampaio scored twice early on, and a Ronaldo penalty made it 3-0 before half-time. Chile courageously kept fighting, and Salas got his fourth goal of the competition, heading in a rebound after Claudio Taffarel had saved from Zamorano, but Ronaldo scored again quickly and Chile were out of the tournament.[16] Despite the loss finishing among the top 16 of the tournament was perceived as a prosperous campaign amid the disappointments with controversy and scandal that had disqualified Chile in previous World Cup tournaments.
[edit]2010 World Cup
On 10 October 2009, Chile qualified for the 2010 World Cup with a 4-2 away win against Colombia.[17] At the end of the qualification they eventually finished in second place, ahead of Paraguay on goal difference following the latter's defeat to Colombia..[18] They were drawn in Group H with Spain, Switzerland and Honduras.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)