Spain vs Chile: World Champions suffer to win International Friendly 3-2

Triumphant Spain after a dramatic comeback

World Champions Spain managed to stage a comeback after being under threat of an embarrassing defeat, to beat Chile 3-2 in an international friendly played in Geneva. The match was marked by two contrasting performances by Spain: one a terrible and unrecognizable first half team, and an improved efficient second half side which won the game. The victory came thanks to a ‘non-existent’ last minute penalty that rebounded back into the path of Cesc Fabregas who had just hit the goal keeper, thus meaning lady luck smiled on Spain last night.

Spanish National Coach Vicent del Bosque experimented giving some players non-habitual playing minutes and putting Javi Martinez ( a midfielder) and Raul Albiol ( not having proper playing time at Real Madrid) in defence. The “new look” defence was out of sorts as Chile score two fabulous goals; Isla in the 10th min and Vargas in the 20th min as Chile carved open the World Champions and gave them a rude shock. Spain’s midfield, with only Xavi Hernandez acting as the creative brain, failed to fire as Xabi Alonso failed to connect with his counterpart. In a nutshell, the first half saw a totally uncoordinated Spanish team that was a novelty to observers who are so used to seeing the Champions romp home in style.

The second half saw the introduction of Andres Iniesta and the Barcelona man revolutionized the team and even scored in the 55th min. His presence was vital in last night’s Spanish victory. Spain then brought on some real fire power in the midfield with Cesc Fabregas, Pedro and Santi Cazorla to boss matters in midfield and provide the all-important final ball. The ploy worked as the equalising goal came in the 70th min via Fabregas, while the winner was provided in the 90th minute by new Barcelona man again via a penalty.

In conclusion, Spain suffered a real scare against Chile and should forget the experimentation and concentrate on playing with the “big guns” from the start. It is clear that the defence suffers without Pique ( injured) and Puyol (injured), and this is an area for deep study for the National Coach Del Bosque in the coming days.

MATCH DETAILS:

SPAIN – 3: Casillas (Reina, m.46); Sergio Ramos, Raúl Albiol, Javi Martínez, Arbeloa; Busquets, Xabi Alonso (Iniesta, m. 46), Xavi (Cesc, m. 64); Silva (cazorla, m. 79), Villa (Pedro, m. 46) & Negredo(Fernando Torres, m. 64).

CHILE -2: Claudio Bravo; Arturo Vidal, Pablo Contreras, Jara; Mauricio Isla (Meneses, m. 83), Medel (Estrada, m. 88), Carmona, Beausejour (Felipe Gutiérrez, m. 79), Jorge Valdivia (Orellana, m.86); Alexis Sánchez & Eduardo Vargas (Felipe Seymour, m. 58).

Goals: 0-1, m. 10: Isla. 0-2, m. 20: Vargas. 1-2, m. 55: Iniesta. 2-2, m. 70: Cesc. 3-2, m. 90: Cesc.

Edited by Zico