Arturo Vidal scored the victor – and his second of the game – in the 101st minute after Luis Gutierrez was adjudged to have handled the ball when it struck him on the upper arm, with his hand tucked behind his back and his face turned away in the Group D encounter on Friday.
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Chile coach Juan Antonio Pizzi brushed off questions about his team’s fortuitous penalty award, insisting that they had deserved to win. The Bolivians were able to play with Chile tit for tat for over 90 minutes, yet they come away with nothing from the match.
“Sometimes decisions go for you, sometimes against you”.
“If we beat Bolivia it will be a different story”.
Chile was the more aggressive team throughout and had a handful of other opportunities off free kicks.
Vidal confined his brace from the penalty spot in the 100th minute of regulation, allowing fans of La Roja to once again believe in a possible quarterfinal trip for the defending champions.
“They missed a clear handball earlier in the game, so it balanced things”, the midfielder said. “It hurts to lose to a penalty that was invented”. “We know the Copa America is very tough and we have to continue to improve”, said Chile forward Mark Gonzalez.
A tense game between Chile and Bolivia brought a moment of soccer glory Friday night: Just three minutes after entering the game, Jhasmani Campos arced a free kick over the wall and into the net, setting off cheers in Foxborough’s Gillette Stadium.
Chile lost its last match against Argentina 2-1 and were out played through the majority of the game.
It looked like being a frustrating evening at Foxborough for the Chileans, who dominated possession and territory but were unable to make their advantage count until the referee’s late intervention.
Arturo Vidal had 4 (4) shots, 2 (2) dribble attempts, he won 9 out of 13 duels and with 2 goals he is deservedly player of the match.
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Chile had 75 percent of the possession and 10 shots on goal but needed a debated penalty shout from referee Jair Marrufo to find the victor. He met Mauricio Pinilla’s layoff and finished into the bottom corner.
