Chile (National Football)

For the neutral, the second-round game between Brazil and Chile presented something of a quandary.

On the one hand, any tournament suffers if the hosts depart before their time, but particularly this World Cup which has been billed as the ultimate celebration of football in the ultimate football country. A World Cup in Brazil without Brazil seems unthinkable.

On the other, losing a team as dynamic and exciting as Chile is a blow to this wonderful spectacle of a tournament, which has surprised and delighted the football world into a state of childlike enthusiasm.

While Chile perhaps didn't play in the exhilarating style that has made them such a vital addition to this tournament in the eventual defeat on penalties, their departure is nonetheless a dreadful shame.

Indeed, perhaps the doughty manner in which they went about playing Brazil in Belo Horizonte makes it more of a shame, for it displayed how adaptable both the team and coach Jorge Sampaoli are. Sampaoli knew that trying to beat the hosts by playing an all-out attacking game would be unwise at best, footballing suicide at worst, so he set up to play on the counter-attack, to contain Brazil and to try and snatch what chances they could get.

And it nearly worked, too, containing Brazil enough to force a 1-1 draw and penalties, even though in this World Cup containing Brazil is relative, given how toothless they have often appeared, Neymar aside. Indeed, they came astonishingly close to winning, with Mauricio Pinilla smacking a shot against the bar in the closing stages of extra-time, and, of course, there are few closer ways to win a football game than on penalties.

Chile were, of course, hampered by injuries, not least to Arturo Vidal, arguably the best player in the world in his position, who thanks to a knee injury could not perform to anything close to his usual standards. Indeed, he couldn't complete 90 minutes in any of Chile's four games, being substituted in three and not risked at all in their final group game against the Netherlands. Had a Vidal at the height of his powers been available to Sampaoli, it could have all been very different.

Interestingly, it wasn't Chile's theoretical weak point that did for them in the end. A defence of Gary Medel, Francisco Silva and Gonazlo Jara, two midfielders who were relegated last season and a full-back who was recently released by Nottingham Forest, should not have been sufficient to hold off many attacks at the World Cup, but they coped relatively well with Spain, the Netherlands and for the large part Brazil.

It was their major Achilles' heel, specifically defending from set pieces, that saw them concede in the second-round game but overall the back line performed above expectations.

Sampaoli was proud of his men after the game, as quoted by Sky Sports:

We wanted to win the game before going to penalties. I don't know if Brazil will win this World Cup.

I don't believe in moral victories. They don't count. We were on par with these teams. Football is like this.

I told them to fight, be brave and defy history. Looking ahead, we have to keep going on that path.

We had players who risked their health for the national team. I can't ask more of them and am proud of our team.

And rightly so. They are out, but Chile have contributed a huge amount to the most exciting World Cup in a generation.

Chile have become the first side to exit the 2014 FIFA World Cup on penalties after a stupendous round-of-16 match against Brazil ended with a shootout defeat after a 1-1 draw through 120 minutes.

One of the most exciting, tense and incident-filled games of the finals so far saw these two South American sides go at each other from start to finish, through extra time and beyond. La Roja showed they had plenty of quality in their game to really be a threat in the latter stages—had the woodwork not intervened against them.

Perhaps more pertinently to others intent on ruining Brazil's ongoing party, they've shown how the host nation can be shut down and overcome.

"We knew, when the draw was made, we were going to be in for a tough time," Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari told FIFA.com. "(Chile are) a very organised team with a good tactical system and fine players."

Great respect for #Chile. #Brazil a little bit lucky. #brazilchile

— Alessandro Nesta (@sandronesta13) June 28, 2014

No Respite

The off-the-ball work of the Chile players started with the forwards and was exemplified and repeated throughout the side. Alexis Sanchez led from the front with his relentless tracking back, closing down and looking to win the ball in midfield, starting in turn Chile's patented fast transition attacks to overload in the final third before Brazil's defensive players could recover.

Their goal arrived in such a fashion, but that was just a few brief seconds—La Roja's players did it for 120 minutes, ceaselessly.

The shape at the back was compact, organised and difficult to play through, whether they had five at the back or just the four in spells, and every player knew their tactical role on the pitch.

Brazil haven't been at their best yet, but even their more impressive performers, especially the creative players, were just given no time on the ball whatsoever.

BBC Sport's Alan Shearer noted the ineffectiveness of Brazil's attacking players:

Brazil have got away with it. They have not reached the level they can but they keep getting the luck. Going forward, apart from Neymar, it is a weak point for Brazil. They are reasonably solid defensively but struggle in attack.

With reduced time and space to operate in, the likes of Neymar and Hulk resorted to constantly dribbling around their marker, only to find another approaching, and another. Multiple times Chile turned over possession in this way, and even if their own time on the ball didn't yield a chance at the opposite end, they prevented Brazil's attacking players having a huge influence on the game for long stretches.

For the likes of Colombia—and perhaps later opponents—it is clear who the dangermen are in this Brazil side and how quickly pressing and surrounding them blunts not just those individuals' threat, but that of the entire team.

The Spine of Five

Claudio Bravo, Gary Medel, Marcelo Diaz, Charles Aranguiz, Alexis Sanchez.

That line of players were not only giving every ounce of effort, determination and desire on the pitch, leaving nothing behind, but were also impressive in possession and tactically perfect for Jorge Sampaoli.

Add in the likes of Arturo Vidal, Eugenio Mena and Francisco Silva all showing the same desire and ability to stop Brazil's attacking threat and offer options going forward, and Chile had a real team ethic in evidence throughout.

Individually and at the top of all their games, Brazil might win out over Chile in a man-to-man comparison, save for the likes of Alexis and Vidal.

In this arena, on this day, though, Chile were very much a match for the host nation and could not have been said to have been undeserving of going through—had very, very small breaks gone their way.

Quite naturally, any team would want their main players to turn up and have a big impact. Chile have shown the importance not just of the players themselves being in good form, but in the coach having a clear plan and in the players executing it to near-perfection.

Margins

Brazil will point to a disallowed Hulk goal in the second half, but it was correctly called as handball, clearly striking Hulk in the upper arm as he controlled to shoot.

The very last action of extra time is where Brazil survived by inches, as Mauricio Pinilla leathered a shot from outside the box past Julio Cesar—and against the crossbar. There would have been no time for a comeback, but penalties it was.

And there, the woodwork denied Chile again. Neymar showed his incomparable composure, Aranguiz struck perhaps the most carefree yet vicious spot-kick ever seen...and Gonzalo Jara played the part of the villain.

Charles Aranguiz's amazing penalty kick: https://t.co/sMjUJbbj2Y

— 2014 World Cup (@TheWorIdCup) June 28, 2014

Such margins do not dictate which team has been better, nor which should have won, but only which team has won.

Right now it's Brazil once again, and they take another step toward the holy grail of success on home soil. Chile, though, have laid down the blueprint for Brazil's would-be challengers, and have also displayed the quality and maturity which would have made them challengers in their own right had the dice fallen their way.

Follow @karlmatchett

Chile are a South American secret no more. Jorge Sampaoli's side bulldozed their way past Spain in a 2-0 win at the Maracana on Wednesday to secure their place in the last 16 and condemn the World Cup holders to an early exit.

It was a performance that epitomised everything that has made Chile such a joy to watch since Sampaoli took charge in late 2012. They tirelessly hustled their opponents, forced errors and then poured forward in numbers, consistently seeking overloads in the final third.

With thousands upon thousands of their countrymen cheering them on, Chile dominated their illustrious opponents and were fully deserving of a famous victory—their first against Spain in 11 attempts.

Yes, the Spanish looked a pale shadow of the side who triumphed in South Africa four years ago. Yes, they were laboured in and out of possession. But it would also be unfair not to recognise that their poor performance was due, in large part, to the effort, application and quality of their opponents.

As B/R contributor Graham Ruthven hinted, Chile should now be considered contenders for the World Cup title:

Sampaoli sent his side out in a 3-4-1-2 formation, with Arturo Vidal leading the press from the head of the midfield. They made a strong start, and although Spain did enjoy spells of decent possession as the half progressed, Chile threatened whenever they went forward.

The first goal was typical of Sampaoli’s side. Alexis Sanchez won the ball high up the pitch, exchanged passes with Vidal and then played a lovely pass into the run of Charles Aranguiz. He, in turn, squared for Eduardo Vargas, who calmly took a touch around Iker Casillas before finishing into the empty net.

The second was more opportunistic—Aranguiz aiming a lovely poked finish into the corner after Casillas had punched a decently struck free-kick from Sanchez straight into his path.

Spain created a few good chances after the break, but Chile, too, had some promising breaks they failed to take full advantage of. They kept running until the very end—each and every player giving his all.

Indeed, it would be difficult to pinpoint a Chilean player who under-performed. At a push, Marcelo Diaz was slightly below-par but it was otherwise a highly impressive team performance.

Aranguiz—who was taken off after suffering what looked like a potentially nasty knee injury during the second half—regularly troubled the Spanish backline with his forward runs from central midfield. Mauricio Isla and Eugenio Mena bombed up and down the flanks, while Gary Medel was never more than a step away from Diego Costa and did an excellent job of marshalling the Chilean defence.

Sanchez and Vargas chased around in pursuit of the Spanish defenders, cutting off their route into midfield and making it difficult for their opponents to establish any rhythm. Whenever they won the ball, they drove forward with speed and skill.

There had been question marks over the fitness of Vidal, who has only just returned from knee surgery and was clearly not 100% fit in Chile’s opening match against Australia. But the Juventus man was superb throughout, displaying supreme energy to harry his opponents across the length and breadth of the field. He received a deserved standing ovation when he was substituted in the final minutes.

Claudio Bravo was generally very secure between the sticks, confidently claiming two or three high balls into the area.

Huge credit must also go to the ringleader, Sampaoli, whose perpetual movement on the sidelines mirrored the intensity with which his players hared about the pitch. He inherited a side who lacked direction under his predecessor Claudio Borghi, and has transformed them into a team capable of going toe-to-toe with the best in the world.

Netherlands are Chile’s next opponents in a match that will decide which of them moves forward into the knockout stages as group winners. Assuming results go as expected in the remaining matches in Group A, the prize for winning the group would be avoiding hosts Brazil in the last 16. 

Chile have more reason than most for wanting to do so, having been eliminated by the Selecao on the three previous occasions they have reached the knockout stages of the World Cup. They were comprehensively beaten 3-0 in the round of 16 in 2010.

However, this current Chile side looks a match for any team. Their lack of height in defence may still prove to be their downfall, and it is also questionable whether they can maintain such a high-octane style of play for the duration of the tournament, but suddenly Vidal’s words prior to the clash with Spain don’t seem quite so far fetched.

“We came to Brazil with the hope of becoming world champions,” he said at a pre-match press conference, as per The Guardian.

It is still early days, but Chile edged a small step closer to that dream with victory on Wednesday.

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Chile shouldn't bask in the glory of their 3-1 win over Australia for too long because coach Jorge Sampaoli has some major issues to iron out before La Roja's next match of the 2014 World Cup.

Spanish football journalist Dermot Corrigan summed up the dichotomy between Chile's first-half and second-half performances:

Zonal Marking's Michael Cox thought things took a turn for the worse after the 20th minute:

When Jorge Valdivia doubled the Chilean lead in the 14th minute, it looked like we might have Tahiti-levels of disparity between one team and the other. Australia were being ripped apart defensively and couldn't get the ball out of their own half.

But then a funny thing happened—nothing.

Chile ceded more and more of the match to the Socceroos. Tim Cahill halved the deficit in the 35th minute, and Australia came close to getting the match level.

Jean Beausejour scored an insurance goal in the 92nd minute to give La Roja a rather flattering 3-1 scoreline.

After the match, Sampaoli was happy to get the three points but acknowledged that they didn't come easily.

"The important thing was to win in order to have aspirations," he said, per Football Italia. "The team were worn down so it was important to get the result. We finished the match in complicated fashion, Chile had everything to get a more comfortable result."

Quite simply, if Chile play like this against Spain and the Netherlands, they're in trouble.

The most glaring issue is their lack of size in defense. You can bet that Vicente del Bosque and Louis van Gaal will have seen how easily Chile were getting beaten in the air against Australia:

The Dutch aren't known for their direct style, but they took to the air against Spain to great effect. According to WhoScored.com, the Netherlands completed 69 long balls, compared to Spain's 43. Eighteen percent of their passes were of the longer variety. So much for Total Football.

That's a somewhat high percentage for a team renowned for its free-flowing, fluid attacking style. Van Gaal is decidedly pragmatic, and if he sees a weakness in the Chile defense, he won't be afraid to exploit it.

Even del Bosque will adjust his style after watching the Chile vs. Australia match. This is the whole reason he brought along Diego Costa. The Atletico Madrid striker can accommodate a more direct style than Spain are used to using.

Costa was poor against the Netherlands, but he could feast on the Chilean back line.

Chile's defensive problems could've been covered up if their attack continued its frenetic pace from early in the first half. When Australia realized that wasn't happening, they began testing La Roja's back four more often.

That leads in to what Sampaoli's other major concerns are for the rest of the tournament.

He employs such a high-pressing style that his players can tire out, and once that happens, they have no other way with which to play.

Chile were very much a one-trick pony on Friday night. Sometimes that's all you need. But other times, it's evident that what you're doing isn't working and you need to go to Plan B.

Only Sampaoli and Chile didn't have a Plan B. They had their Plan A, and when that didn't work, they had nothing else to fall back on.

It was like watching Barcelona play against a team that bunkers in and puts 10 men behind the ball.

Chile have been lauded for their positive, entertaining approach to the game, but they might have to go back to the drawing board if they want to secure passage to the knockout stages.