Saturday, November 4th, 2023.- Chile's "Condores" defeated the United States 15-12 in the last play of the match and advanced to the rugby 7 final at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games. They will compete in an unprecedented final against either Argentina or Canada later on this Saturday.
More than four thousand people gathered at the Estadio Municipal de La Pintana to witness the historic opportunity for the Condors to advance to a Pan American final. Anxiety marked the beginning of the match, especially the impatience of the Chilean team, which was well-exploited by the United States to open the scoring with a try by Ryan Santos from the ruck.
The North Americans opted for scrums to run down the clock, and their physical strength allowed them to move the ball to Orrin Bizer, who extended the lead for the visitors with an unconverted try. The Chilean team showed no reaction and trailed 0-12 at halftime.
With five minutes remaining, the United States dominated a crucial lineout and began to savor victory based on their strength in set pieces. However, Diego Warnken took the reins to reduce the deficit with the first try for the Chileans, although it went unconverted. The introduction of Lucca Avelli was crucial in breaking through the lines, and Warnken once again breached the American defense for a try, but he missed the conversion.
Nonetheless, Chile had one last chance with a player less for the United States, and it came down to a final effort without room for errors, executed by Cristóbal Game in injury time to secure the winning try for the Condors. Joy overflowed in every corner of La Pintana due to the historic advancement to the final.
In the continuation of the day, Argentina and Canada will contest the second semi-final to determine the medal positions. The rugby 7 finals will take place this afternoon at Estadio Municipal de La Pintana. The bronze medal match will be held at 5:10 p.m., while the gold medal match will follow at 6:10 p.m..
Written by Rodrigo Parragué and Nicolás Olea; translated by Andrés Castro / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport
Photo by Cristian Soto / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport
