Copa America 2019 results: Alexis Sanchez fires Chile into semi-finals with winning penalty in shootout drama
Chile 0-0 Colombia (Chile win 5-4 on penalties): Manchester United forward scores winning penalty to book defending champions a place in the last four against either Uruguay or Peru
Reigning champions Chile advanced to the semi-finals of the Copa America on Friday after beating Colombia 5-4 in a penalty shootout following a 0-0 draw at the Corinthians arena.
Alexis Sanchez got the winning spot kick after William Tesillo pulled Colombia’s last penalty wide of the post.
Chile will face either Uruguay or Peru in Wednesday’s semi-final in Porto Alegre. The other semi is between hosts Brazil and Argentina.
Chile had beaten Argentina in the last two finals of the tournament on penalty kicks and they gave Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina no chance on Friday.
"I think we had opportunities (during the game)," said Chile's Charles Aranguiz. "We didn’t take them and we had to do it on penalties.
Copa America 2019 key players
Show all 13"Our team is confident when it comes to penalties, we have won two finals on penalties. So that gives us energy."
The kick-off at the Corinthians arena was delayed by 20 minutes after the Chilean coach got stuck in Sao Paulo’s notorious traffic, keeping more than 40,000 fans waiting.
Tempers frequently flared in a match with 35 fouls but there was no lack of quality on show as both sides created chances.
Chile were unlucky not to win in regulation time, with Aranguiz in the first half and Vidal in the second having goals chalked off after video assistant referee (VAR) reviews.
"It’s difficult because you’re going at 100 miles an hour and then they annul two goals," said Vidal. "But we kept our heads and won it on the penalties. We deserved it."
Reuters
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies