Chile reached the semi-final of the Copa America

Chile reached the semi-final of the Copa America after managing to overcome defending champions Uruguay in the quarter-finals.

This has been termed as a historic moment by manager Jorge Sampaoli. The 1-0 victory for the home team means that they will have an eye on the final as they take on Peru. The opposition were not given much hope to reach this stage and Chile will represent a formidable opposition primarily due to their home advantage. The other semi-final could potentially see Brazil and Argentina coming up against each other.

Uruguay were seen as one of the potential title favourites due to the strength in depth for the opposition. The team were also having striker Luis Suarez in the best form of his career. However, Uruguay have been disappointing for the tournament after they could only manage one victory so far. They also go out after having tasted just two goals in the tournament. The task to get past Chile was made extremely difficult after both Edinson Cavani and Fucile were sent off after receiving two yellow cards. Frustration began to show on the faces of the Uruguayan players after they failed to recover from the 81st minute goal from Chile. Isla came up with the decisive strike to send the home team through to the semifinals.

“Beating Uruguay is a defining moment and an important step because Uruguay at this stage are difficult for any team.Chile won against a difficult team who were never resigned to the option of a draw.We beat very good opponents and played well, despite failing to create a lot of chances in relation to the domination we enjoyed. The game went as we expected. If we didn’t score early, it would be complicated. We knew we were in for a hard game so long as it remained scoreless. We tried to find the right formula,” said Sampaoli.