Written by Megan Gutter, April 30 2016
One of the most highly anticipated matches of the Copa America Centenario is between Argentina and Chile. As rank #1 and #3 in the FIFA World Rankings, respectively, this will be one of, if not the most, competitive matches of the group stage. Not only are they both currently international soccer powerhouses, but it’ll be a chance for Argentina to get revenge in a rematch of the Copa America 2015 final. Furthermore, these neighboring countries have had a long history together and are both craving to go all the way to the trophy.[5]
Argentina and Chile were two of the four founding nations of the Copa America in 1916, which used to be known as the South American Championship. Argentina beat Chile in that first tournament 100 years ago, 6-1. Since then, Argentina has been unstoppable. Besides the fact that they won 35 of the 36 matches against Chile up until the Copa America 2015, Argentina has made a name for themselves in South America and on an international stage. Argentina has claimed the Copa America trophy 14 times and been the champions or runner-up for the FIFA World Cup multiple times whereas Chile hadn’t won a Copa America yet and has never made it that far in a World Cup tournament.[1] Although Argentina vs. Brazil and Chile vs. Peru are the big rivalries that come to mind when considering these two countries’ soccer histories, the competition between Argentina and Chile is not to be dismissed. At least Chile has definitely considered Argentina a huge rival, as Argentina seems to be the nation everyone loves to hate.[3] If Argentina didn’t see Chile as competition before, they certainly do after the 2015 Copa America.
The Copa America 2015 came down to the final match between Argentina and Chile. Both nations had been struggling to claim a title for many years – Argentina hadn’t won a major tournament in 22 years since 1993 and Chile had yet to win a Copa America at all. In addition, star player Lionel Messi from Argentina had yet to win on and international level with his home country’s team and was expected to finally win big. To raise the stakes even higher, the tournament was held in Chile and their desire to win on their home turf was palpable. Yet only one national team could end their trophy drought. [2]
The entire match was to go scoreless. Chile played aggressively, and Argentina choked. While Argentina’s defense was solid and wouldn’t let Chile score, they fell short of their 6-1 semi-final performance against Paraguay. Messi had the last opportunity to score during the normal game time, he had a chance to end the game, but the shot went into the side netting instead.[4] The game proceeded to break the 0-0 draw with penalty kicks. Messi managed to score a penalty kick on the Chilean goalie but that was not enough. Chile scored 4 penalty kicks to win the Copa America for the first time since the tournament began and Argentina was denied the trophy.[6] The video below shows the game-determining penalty kick shootout.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o9vvXqi6oo
After a match like the Copa America 2015 final, I will not attempt to predict the unpredictable. Although Argentina is ranked ahead of Chile by a couple spots and have the advantage of seeking revenge, this is soccer and anything can happen. Not to mention, this is only the group stage! Even if Argentina beats Chile or vice versa, both teams can advance to the knockout stage and possibly meet again in the final if they win the rest of their matches. Regardless, this exciting match is surely not one to miss. Watch out for it this summer on June 6.
Sources:
[1] Long, Gideon. “Argentina face Chile in history-rich Copa America Final.” Reuters. 2 July 2015. Web. 30 April 2016. <http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-copa-idUKKCN0PC1WU20150702>.
[2] Rogerson, Matthew. “Chile-Argentina: History beckons in Copa America final.” goal.com. 4 July 2015. Web. 30 April 2016. <http://www.goal.com/en-gb/match/chile-vs-argentina/1901767/preview>.
[3] Trovall, Elizabeth, Katie Watkins. “Inside South American Soccer Rivalries.” wbur. 27 June 2015. Web. 30 April 2016. <http://onlyagame.wbur.org/2015/06/27/south-american-soccer-rivals-brazil-peru-argentina>.
[4] Wilson, Jonathan. “Hosts Chile stun Argentina to claim first Copa América title on penalties.” The Guardian. 4 July 2015. Web. 30 April 2016. <http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jul/05/chile-argentina-copa-america-final-match-report>.
[5] “Five Matches to Watch.” Copa America Centenario 2016. 27 April 2016. Web. 28 April 2016. <http://www.ca2016.com/article/five-matches-to-watch>.
[6] “Chile beat Argentina 4-1 on penalties to win country’s first Copa America.” ESPN FC. 4 July 2015. Web. 30 April 2016. <http://www.espnfc.us/copa-america/match/424357/chile-argentina/report>.
How to cite this page:
“Argentina vs. Chile”, Written by Megan Gutter (2016). Copa America Centernario 2016 Guide, Soccer Politics Blog, Duke Univsersity, http://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/tournament-guides/copa-america-centenario-2016-guide/copa-america-centenario-2016-team-guide/argentina-vs-chile/ (accessed on (date)).