Chile hung on for a 1–0 victory over Switzerland on Monday in a match ruined by more controversial refereeing.
In the 31st minute, Saudi Arabian referee Khalil Al Ghamdi gave Switzerland’s Valon Behrami a straight red card for a flailing arm. Chile’s Arturo Vidal didn’t need any encouragement to make the most of the mild contact.
The Chilean midfielder fell to the ground clutching his face in what is becoming an all too obvious tactic to deceive the referee with the intention of getting an opponent sent off. A yellow card to Behrami would have been more appropriate.
A similar incident occurred in Sunday’s match between Brazil and Ivory Coast where the Ivorian Keita exaggerated the contact between himself and Brazil’s Kaka. Kaka was shown a red card.
Aside from the poor officiating, which began with a yellow card in the 2nd minute of play, Switzerland did start quite brightly with attacking players Behrami and Alexander Frei in the starting lineup.
But after Behrami’s sending off, Chile started to dominate the game. Switzerland remained very well organized defensively. They are used to soaking up pressure and have an excellent defensive record.
Chile was wasteful with their chances and could not get the breakthrough immediately. By the end of the first half, four yellow cards and one red card had been dealt.
In the second half the cards kept coming and bad blood on both sides was brewing. In essence, the referee had lost control of the match and the respect of the players.
The breakthrough for Chile came in the 75th minute when former Liverpool player Mark Gonzalez headed home a cross. In the buildup, Esteban Paredes apparently beat the offside trap and sent a cross to a wide open Gonzalez for the winner.
Switzerland pushed forward and really should have had the equalizer in the 90th minute when Eren Derdiyok dragged his shot wide after receiving a beautiful back heel pass. It might be one of the worst misses of the tournament.
Chile now has six points in Group H but is not assured of a place in the round of 16. Switzerland still has a chance to qualify. They have three points and a match against Honduras on Friday. Spain and Honduras play their second match later on Monday.
The domination of the South American teams in South Africa continues as they now hold an 8–0–2 record at the World Cup.
In the 31st minute, Saudi Arabian referee Khalil Al Ghamdi gave Switzerland’s Valon Behrami a straight red card for a flailing arm. Chile’s Arturo Vidal didn’t need any encouragement to make the most of the mild contact.
The Chilean midfielder fell to the ground clutching his face in what is becoming an all too obvious tactic to deceive the referee with the intention of getting an opponent sent off. A yellow card to Behrami would have been more appropriate.
A similar incident occurred in Sunday’s match between Brazil and Ivory Coast where the Ivorian Keita exaggerated the contact between himself and Brazil’s Kaka. Kaka was shown a red card.
Aside from the poor officiating, which began with a yellow card in the 2nd minute of play, Switzerland did start quite brightly with attacking players Behrami and Alexander Frei in the starting lineup.
But after Behrami’s sending off, Chile started to dominate the game. Switzerland remained very well organized defensively. They are used to soaking up pressure and have an excellent defensive record.
Chile was wasteful with their chances and could not get the breakthrough immediately. By the end of the first half, four yellow cards and one red card had been dealt.
In the second half the cards kept coming and bad blood on both sides was brewing. In essence, the referee had lost control of the match and the respect of the players.
The breakthrough for Chile came in the 75th minute when former Liverpool player Mark Gonzalez headed home a cross. In the buildup, Esteban Paredes apparently beat the offside trap and sent a cross to a wide open Gonzalez for the winner.
Switzerland pushed forward and really should have had the equalizer in the 90th minute when Eren Derdiyok dragged his shot wide after receiving a beautiful back heel pass. It might be one of the worst misses of the tournament.
Chile now has six points in Group H but is not assured of a place in the round of 16. Switzerland still has a chance to qualify. They have three points and a match against Honduras on Friday. Spain and Honduras play their second match later on Monday.
The domination of the South American teams in South Africa continues as they now hold an 8–0–2 record at the World Cup.
