SB Nation World Cup World Cup 2010 -- Group H
+6
Chile and Switzerland sit atop Group G after the Swiss upset Spain in the group's first round. Now, each team will be looking to get three points from Monday's match to try and steal the group from the Spanish.
Chile has finally broken through against the 10-man Swiss, with substitute Esteban Parades’ cross headed home by Mark Gonzalez in the 74th minute to put the Chileans up 1-0.
Parades was able to create the opportunity after Swiss goalkeeper Diego Benaglio miss the pace on through ball and came off his line. Parades beat the `keeper to the ball, touched it around the man and eventually crossed for González. The left winger headed the ball into the open net for Chile’s lead.
Chile had played 43 minutes up a man after Swiss midfielder Valon Behrami was shown a straight red card in the first half.
A tackle in midfield in the 60th minute has seen Swiss midfielder Gokhan Inler and Chile midfielder Matias Fernandez yellow carded. For Fernandez, coupled with a yellow card accumulated in the Chilean’s first match against Honduras, the card means the attacker will be suspended for Friday’s match against Spain.
He joins Carlos Carmona amongst Marcelo Bielsa’s men unavailable for Friday’s match.
Referee Khalil Al Ghamdi has given out nine cards in the match: eight yellow, one read.
Chile coach Marcelo Bielsa has made two adjustments coming out of halftime, adjusting to facing a 10-man Switzerland team.
Mark González is in for Arturo Vidal, giving Chile another attacking option on the left side, moving Jean Beausejour back in the formation.
Jorge Valdivia has come on for Humberto Suazo, with the team’s leader scorer in qualifying having a difficult first half, returning from a thigh injury.
Two saves from Switzerland goalkeeper Diego Benaglio in the tenth minute against Chile highlight the non-punitive portion of a scoreless first half, but the sending off of Swiss midfielder Valon Behrami in the 31st minute redefined Monday’s Chile-Switzerland match.
Arturo Vidal and Carlos Carmona had back-to-back shots on Benaglio saved early in the match, the best scoring chances of the match. Vital’s chance from 25 yards out dipped such that Benaglio had to punch it clear. The ball went to Carmona who one-timed a shot back on goal. Benaglio pushed the ball to the right of goal, his second of three first half saves.
Chile dominated first half possession, holding the ball for 66 percent of the half. The play, however, was relatively even until the 30th minute, when Switzerland had a man sent off.
Battling for a ball in midfield. Valon Behrami, while trying to shield Vidal from the ball, brought his hand to the Chilean’s face. Referee Khalil Al Ghamdi issued the midfielder a straight red card, making Behrami the first Swiss player ever dismissed from a World Cup match.
Switzerland midfielder Valon Behrami has seen straight red in the 31st minute against Chile for what has been adjudicated to be contact to the face of an opponent.
While battling for a ball with Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal, Behrami raised his right arm while shielding his opponent from the ball, making contact with the player’s face. As a result, Saudi referee Khalil Al Ghamdi dismissed the Swiss player.
Behrami did not play the opening match against Spain, missing the game with injury. Thirty minutes into today’s match with Chile, Behrami has been ejected and will now serve a suspension for the third group match against Honduras. The midfielder’s tournament will be over if Switzerland does not advance out of Group H.
Before the tournament started few thought Monday’s match between Chile and Switzerland would feature the two teams at the top of Group H, but with each having won three points in their opening game, Monday’s middle match could see one of these teams all-but-secure a place in the knockout stage.
Switzerland, in particular, would be in great shape with a win. They’ve already faced their toughest opponent, Spain, and emerged unscathed. Now they face Chile, their chief competition to get into the next round, and should they get a win today, they would need only one point from Honduras on Friday to win Group H.
Chile is in a similar situation: sitting on three points; looking to move to six; where one point in the next match would win them the group. The problem is they have yet to face Spain, which they will do on Friday. A Chile win today in the face of a match with Spain could be a recipe for three teams finishing Group H on six points.
First, today’s match between Chile and Switzerland:
Chile, Going Forward: Humberto Suazo is set to return for Marcelo Bielsa’s men, addressing the one concern remaining after their dismantling for Honduras. Having over 70 percent of the possession in their first match, Chile’s only problem was the lack of a presence in the middle - somebody in the penalty box who would be in position to take advantage of Chile’s dominance. Though it is unclear how healthy he will be, Suazo is that man.
Helping Suazo’s task in the middle is great wide play from the Chileans that stretches their opponents’ defense. Fullbacks Reto Zeigler and Stephan Lichsteiner will be stressed by Jean Beausejour and Aléxis Sanchez (and possibly Mark González), while wingers Gelson Fernandez and Tranquillo Barnetta will have to come deeper to support their teammates, lest central defenders Stephane Grichting and Steve von Bergen have to leave their positions to help. That holding midfielders Gokhan Inler and Benjamin Huggel will also be important in handling Chile’s width speaks to the effort required to manage La Roja’s pressure.
Switzerland, Going Forward: As was the case against Spain, Switzerland’s attack is going to have to be more about counters then build-ups. Versus the Spanish, the Swiss weren’t able to generate many opportunities, but they had enough success to justify Ottmar Hitzfeld maintaining the same approach.
We should see a 4-4-2 formation where the keys, beyond the finishing of Eren Derdiyok, Blaise N’kufo and (if he plays) Alexander Frei, will be Fernandes and Barnetta’s abilities to transition Switzerland into attack. With Inler and Huggel likely to be packed deep in the Swiss end, Switzerland defenders will have to pass out along the wings if the Swiss are to maintain possession. Fernandes and Barnetta then become the link-up men, though they'll also have to deal with the presence of Rodrigo Millar and Carlos Carmona. As quickly as they get possession, they will feel pressure from the Chileans to give-up the ball.
How The Match Turns: After an acclimation period, the Swiss will adjust to the Chileans. They’ll start to get the rhythm of the high-intensity match. They’ll begin to notice the places were Barnetta and Fernandes, Derdiyok and N’kufo are most likely to be open and receive the ball. Unless Chile makes an early mistake, this acclimation process will take some time, possibly more than a half. Once Switzerland adjusts, they will control the match, if not the ball.
World Cup 2010, Switzerland Vs. Chile: Mark Gonzalez Goal Sees Chile Past Switzerland
Switzerland’s 558 minute World Cup scoreless streak ended with Mark Gonzalez’s 74th minute goal, enough to see Chile to a 1-0 victory and top spot in Group H.
The match was defined in the 31st minute, when Swiss midfielder Valon Behrami was shown straight red after accidentally putting a arm to Arturo Vidal’s face while shielding the Chilean defender from the ball.
From there, Switzerland generated few chances, the best of which came in the 90th minute when Eren Derdiyok pulled a 16 yard shot wide of Claudio Bravio’s right post.
In the interim, Chile dominated, controlling 69 percent of the possession and putting six shots on goal to Switzerland’s zero.
Chile crafted the match’s only goal in the 74th minute, when a ball rolled into the box was misjudged by Swiss goalkeeper Diego Benaglio, who came off his line but could not get to the ball before Esteban Parades was able to touch the ball around him and cross for Mark Gonzalez. The winger headed into the vacated net for the match’s only goal.
Chile now moves to six points and sole possession of the lead in Group H ahead of Friday’s match against Spain. The Chileans can clinch a knockout stage spot by the end of the day if Honduras gets a point from Spain.
Switzerland stays on three points, alone in second place, ahead of Friday’s match against Honduras.
Jun 21 12:01p by Richard Farley - 0 comments