Since 1917, Chile has not left a Copa América without even scoring a goal. And he completed – after the meager draw against Canada – more than 550 minutes without celebrating in a points match. The slight illusion aroused after the arrival of Ricardo Gareca soon dissipated after the opaque and unproductive participation of La Roja in the United States.
The expostulations of the fans and a large part of the press focused on the poor performance of the referees and the VAR in the matches against Argentina and Canada. Colombian Wilmar Roldán had already been challenged by the Chilean federation in the 2021 Cup for his suspicious performance in the match against Paraguay, but this time he shared mistakes with the VAR, which left unpunished an obvious elbow by Bombito in front of Echeverria – clearly shown by the cameras of the central broadcast – and for the early expulsion of Gabriel Suazo that left Chile with one less man for sixty minutes.
Playing for the first time with the crowd in his favour, Ricardo Gareca surprised with changes that were not in the script in the previous days. Looking for more physical power, Guillermo Maripán replaced Paulo Díaz, Marcelino Núñez replaced Erick Pulgar and Gabriel Arias replaced an injured Claudio Bravo, whose influence on the field this time could not be felt. However, the technical reproach for Gareca was, once again, the delay and the selection of replacement men to change the luck of a match that at all times seemed manageable, due to the evident deficiencies of the Canadian team.
Having lost credibility with the fans, Gareca will now have to recompose a strategy for the qualifiers, where Arturo Vidal and Gary Medel will regain their status. Sidelined by the coach, both were active commentators on social media about the team’s fate, and fundamental critics of the refereeing. Observing the shortcomings of the midfield, both will once again be alternatives because time and urgency are pressing.
With little managerial weight before Conmebol, any claim by Chile in the face of obvious refereeing errors will once again fall into a void. And the leadership gained in the last period will remain in doubt in the face of evidence: for the first time since 2004, Chile will not be present in the second phase of a tournament that left a sour and bitter taste. Sour at injustices; bitter about disabilities.
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