It was a well deserved victory after a perfect all-round performance from Chile, who did not put a foot wrong against an off-colour Argentine side. Goal.com rates the performers on the pitch.
Bravo – 6: Did not have a real save to make all match long. Credit has to be given for marshalling his defenders well from the back.
Medel – 7.5: Made that clever overlapping run to set up the winnig goal. Formed a perfect, impenetrable fortress at the back with
Contreras – 7.5: Did not allow Leo or Kun to bully him. Solid as a rock and precise as a clock with his tackling, marking and positioning.
Carmona – 7: Bombarded the Argentine goal mouth endlessly with his accurate crossing and long-range passing.
Estrada – 7.5: Extremely hardworking. Ran tirelessly all over the pitch to hassle the Argentines off the ball.
Matí Fernández – 8: Always there to lead the Chilean attack and caused the Argentine backline endless grief with his runs on and off the ball.
Beausejour – 7:
Made a very bright start and came close to open the scoring. Tailed off
slightly as the game progressed but still kept running and running to
help out in defence even in the 90th minute.
Orellana (pic) – 8.5: He
will remember his very first goal for his country for a long time to
come. Left the Argentine backline huffing and puffing with his speed
and trickery on the ball. Involved in almost every meaningful attack.
Mark González – N/A: Only had a couple of touches of the ball before the horrendous collision with Burdisso forced him out of the game.
Suazo – 6.5: Held the ball up well when needed. Had numerous excellent chances to score but poor finishing let him down.
Substitutes:
Drougett – 7.5: Brought on to replace Mark González and slipped into the role effortlessly.
Martínez – 6: He did his job, which was to shore up
Vidal – 5: Gave away a dangerous freekick immediately after coming on. Fortunately for him, nothing came off it.
Carrizo – 7: Made a few telling saves to prevent an even bigger embarrassment. Could not have done anything to prevent the winning goal.
Zanetti – 6:
Struggled to keep up with Beausejour. Over-committed himself in attack
in the closing stages and left the backline completely exposed and
almost allowed
Burdisso – N/A: Wasn’t called that much into action before his withdrawal from a nasty injury.
Demichelis – 6.5:
Failed to pick out Orellana inside the box for the winning strike.
Other than that, he was able to put himself in all the right places to
make vital challenges and interceptions. Came very close to a late
equalizer.
Heinze – 5: Allowed Medel to steam down his flank to tee-up the goal. Had a torrid evening trying to shackle Orellana.
Mascherano – 6:
Had a few intriguing battles with Matí Fernández but came out second
best most of the time. Like the rest of his teammates, lacked his usual
spark and sprite.
Ledesma – 5: His attempts at Riquelme-esque passing failed miserably. Completely anonymous.
Cambiasso – 4:
A lifeless display. Left gapping holes everywhere in midfield,
especially along the left channel of the pitch. His passing was
horrendous and had no attacking input whatsoever.
Messi – 6.5:
Played virtually as a midfielder and had to spend too much of his time
running forward from deep. Showed a few quick flashes of brilliance but
looked tired and jaded by the second period.
Milito – 3:
Could not get his frequency tuned in to Messi and Agüero’s range.
Constantly mistimed his runs or drifted out of position. Rightfully
taken off at the break.
Agüero – 7: The
busiest of the three forwards but never had any support when he needed
it. Had to run around feverishly from flank to flank trying to create
spaces and chances for himself.
Substitutes:
Cata Díaz – 6.5:
Made an absolutely critical interception by cutting across to Suazo to
prevent the second goal late in the first half. Very alert and
attentive at the back.
Bergessio – 5: Wasn’t any better than Milito but at least he was able to combine cohesively with his fellow forwards.
Sand – N/A: Did not have enough time to make any sort of impact. At least he managed to get a shot on target.
KS Leong
