Back-to-back Copa America champions Chile were held to a draw by a young German side in their Confederations Cup clash at the Kazan Arena. Alexis Sanchez punished a mistake by Arsenal colleague Shkodran Mustafi to open the scoring for the Chileans in the 6th minute, taking him past Marcelo Salas as Chile’s all-time record goalscorer with 38 goals.
Borussia Monchengladbach forward Lars Stindl then converted a low cross from Jonas Hector to level matters on the night. The game petered out towards the end of the second half as both sides were well set up defensively to prevent each other from finding the winner.
Here are the talking points from the encounter at Kazan:
#1 Youthful Germany struggle against Chile’s movement in the early stages
A German side minus their senior players – viz. Manuel Neuer, Mats Hummels, Jerome Boateng, Toni Kroos, Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller – were up against a strong Chilean outfit at the Kazan Arena. So it was hardly a surprise to see that it was the South American champions who were quicker off the blocks than their European opponents.
Led by the ever-energetic Alexis Sanchez, Chile moved the ball quickly across midfield and made darting runs into the penalty area, thus putting the inexperienced Germans on the backfoot straight away.
Individual mistakes by the world champions in their defensive third to give away possession was further evidence of their vulnerability in the opening half an hour. They were lucky not to be further than one behind when Lars Stindl found the back of the net late in the first half, as Chile failed to pounce on defensive errors committed by the Germans earlier in the game.
#2 Excellent Sanchez benefits from mistake by Arsenal team-mate
Whether appearing for club or country, Alexis Sanchez is a livewire on the football pitch. His desire to run into pockets of space with the ball and make escapades down the wing rates him amongst the very best in the world. And his low centre of gravity allows him to make quick twists and turns around the edge of the box to unsettle his nearest opponent.
The Arsenal man showed he also has the finishing boots by opening the scoring for the reigning Copa America champions thanks to a defensive error by his Arsenal colleague, Shkodran Mustafi. An attempted forward pass was directed straight into the path of Arturo Vidal, who saw Sanchez free and laid the ball on to his path.
It needed a quick shift in gear from the winger to out-run the German defence and slot the ball past a helpless Marc-Andre ter Stegen to give Chile an early lead. Throughout the game, he dominated the left channel and helped bring fluidity to Chile’s play in the attacking third.
#3 Emre Can inspires an underwhelming Germany to grab an equaliser
Germany were poor in the first half but were lifted by a moment of excellence by Emre Can to help them get back into the game. The Liverpool midfielder was immense on the pitch, covering nearly every blade of grass to help win back possession and also drive a young German side forward when in possession.
He provided a wonderful pass into the path of left wingback Jonas Hector, whose low cross was converted by Lars Stindl to equalise for Germany. It was not exactly deserved as far as Joachim Low’s side were concerned, but that goal gave a youthful German side a much-needed lift after an average 40 minutes.
Their performance in the second half – helped by Can’s industriousness in midfield – improved markedly. They were more organised at the back and did not commit any major individual errors in their defensive area while getting wingbacks Kimmich and Hector involved more in an offensive sense.
#4 Both teams defensively resolute in the second half
The game withered away in the final quarter, as both teams were determined not to allow each other to find that elusive winner which would have seen them qualify for the semi-finals of this edition of the Confederations Cup.
Chile essentially played with five at the back against a German side in the ascendancy, with centre-midfielder Marcelo Diaz slotting in as a third centre-back in between the two centre-halves and wingers.
Germany, on the other hand, overcame a nervous start to settle into their 3-4-3 formation and neutralise Chile’s quick movement with the ball through the middle and from the wide areas thanks to the stamina of wingbacks Kimmich and Hector.
When the South Americans resorted to lofted balls and crosses from the wide men, the German defence always had an answer. Both teams effectively cancelled each other out during the second half. Neither goalkeeper had to make a meaningful save.
#5 Germany’s performance a prelude to what they have to offer next year
If a young German side were capable of showing the character and team-moulding to recover from a nerve-wracking start against the mighty Chileans, it only serves as a prelude to what their senior players have to bring to Russia at the World Cup finals next year. Chile’s failure to sweep them aside despite their vast experience and recent trophy-laden summers only goes to show the depth of talent possessed by the World champions.
Emre Can delivered a performance similar to what the likes of Toni Kroos could provide next year, while Niklas Sule’s man-marking during set-pieces gave us a glimpse of the attributes of Mats Hummels in a senior German side. With most of the members of this young squad starring for their clubs as well, Joachim Low will arguably have a selection dilemma when he chooses his squad for the World Cup – assuming they qualify – next May.
