Thursday, october 26, 2023.- The Chilean male's national football team advanced to the semifinals of the Pan American Games after defeating Uruguay 1-0 at Estadio Elías Figueroa in Valparaíso.

In a hard-fought match in Group A, the team coached by Eduardo Berizzo took control of the game. The home team aggressively sought the opponent's goal, as demonstrated by Damián Pizarro's header just two minutes into the game, which narrowly missed the target defended by Ramiro Méndez.

Chile persisted and had a good chance with Alexander Aravena at the 19th minute and César Pérez at the 24th minute. For the "charrúas," a header from Rodrigo Piñeiro was their most dangerous attempt, but it hardly troubled goalkeeper Brayan Cortés.

The opening goal came as the first half was ending, following a great individual play by Alexander Aravena. He left two defenders behind and, with a left-footed shot, unleashed the joy of the attending crowd at the sports venue, including the national team's Arturo Vidal.

In the second half, the Chilean team maintained their good performance, with forward Maximiliano Guerrero being the most dangerous player. Uruguay, on the other hand, relied on their fighting spirit, and the match saw several rough moments with scuffles between the two teams.

This was an important victory for Chile, earning them six points in Group A and securing their spot in the semifinals with one match to spare. Their next game will be against the Dominican Republic on Sunday, October 29th, at 6:00 p.m. local time, at the Estadio Sausalito in Viña del Mar.

Written by Pedro Marín-Nicolás Reyes; translated by Rocio Rojas / Santiago 2023 via Photosport
Photo by Manuel Lema / Santiago 2023 via Photosport