Chile beat 10-man Switzerland
Posted: Jun 21 2010
Chile beat 10-man Switzerland 1-0 in a Group H match played at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
The Swiss had Valon Behrami was sent off in the 31st minute. The goal was scored by Mark Gonzalez in the second half.
The match got off to a rather slow start, with the Chileans passing quite well, but lacking a quality option in the penalty area. The Swiss did well to win nearly equal possession but were much more focused on defensive duties than looking for a goal.
In the 30th minute the Swiss were down to 10-men when Behrami was sent off under controversial circumstances. On the right flank, the winger attempted to free himself from Vidal, who was pulling his shirt. Behrami's arm was high as he flailed it backwards, and it connected with Vidal's neck. After a few moments of pondering, referee Khalil Al Ghamdi showed Behrami the red card.
For all their passing quality and dominance in possession, the South Americans were not quite able to break through before the half, and had to settle for a scoreless draw at the interval.
After the half, Chile made a pair of substitutions: for Vidal and Suazo, Jorge Valdivia and Mark Gonzalez entered the fray. As they had in the first half, the Chileans took every chance to move forward.
It took just four minutes for the South Americans to put the ball into the net; following a free kick, Sanchez was picked out at the edge of the penalty area, and fired a low drive into the net. The ball took a deflection along the way, however, and the goal was disallowed for offside.
Chile pressed and pressed, and Sanchez used his impressive touch to cause the Swiss trouble. The Udinese man received the ball inside the penalty area on a number of occasions, but was denied by Von Bergen and Stephane Grichting. Despite having played very well throughout the match, the latter defender made a real howler in the 55th minute, allowing the ball to leave his feet and fall for Sanchez. The attacker dribbled towards goal, but Benaglio did well to block his shot.
The Swiss eventually recovered from the Chilean onslaught, and defended well. By the 68th minute, they surpassed Italy's record of minutes in the World Cup without conceding a goal.
That record would not extend much further, however. Following an exquisite through ball from Valdivia, substitute Esteban Paredes rounded Benaglio and crossed from the right byline. Mark Gonzalez was wide open at the far post, and headed home from close range to put Chile ahead with the first World Cup goal scored against Switzerland since 1994.
Three minutes into added time, the referee blew his whistle for the final time, and Chile claimed a crucial three points, putting them in first place in their group, three points ahead of the Swiss, and six points ahead of both Spain and Honduras, who play later tonight.
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