Match report:
Summary
It’s a painful exit for Portugal, but on the balance of play, it’s the right result. On paper, Chile should get nowhere near Portugal, but just as at the Copa America, Chile find a way. They should have won it in 120 minutes, but Claudio Bravo’s heroics in the shoot-out help them progress to the final, which will be against one of Germany and Mexico.
Bravo, Three-Zero
— Michael Cox (@Zonal_Marking) June 28, 2017
Claudio Bravo made as many saves in the penalty shootout against Portugal as in the Premier League in 2017 (3).
— Richard Jolly (@RichJolly) June 28, 2017
Bravo is hoisted into the air by his Chile team-mates but they can’t seem to bounce him in the air, they are just too tired, so they resort to a good old-fashioned bundle.
Thanks for your emails and tweets tonight, and cheers for reading. Stay tuned for Kieran Pender’s match report – live on the site shortly – and watch out for our MBM of tomorrow’s other semi-final.
Bye!
Updated
Full-time: Portugal 0-0 Chile (0-3 pens). Chile are in the final!
Ronaldo didn’t even get a chance to take a penalty!
Updated
SAVED! CHILE WIN! THEY ARE IN THE CONFEDERATIONS CUP FINAL!
Nani’s effort is saved! Bravo has saved all three of Portugal’s penalties! Chile progress to the Confederations Cup final!
Updated
GOAL! Portugal 0-3 Chile in the shootout
Sanchez sends Rui Patricio the wrong way! Portugal must score their next kick.
SAVED! Portugal 0-2 Chile in the shootout
An identical save from Bravo. João Moutinho has his head in his hands!
GOAL! Portugal 0-2 Chile in the shootout
Aranguiz makes no mistake
SAVED! Portugal 0-1 Chile in the shootout
Bravo guesses right from Quaresma’s effort. Bravo was at least two yards off his line when he made contact with the ball!
GOAL! Portugal 0-1 Chile in the shootout
Vidal goes left, Rui Patricio goes right.
Chile came so close there. They should have had a penalty, and hit the woodwork twice in the closing moments. They will take the first kick in the shoot-out, here comes Vidal …
We go to penalties … full-time in extra-time: Portugal 0-0 Chile
Spot kicks it is.
119 min: Chile make a final change, Isla is replaced by Fuenzalida.
Vidal hits the post! Rodriguez hits the underside of the bar with the rebound!
118 min: Chile hit the woodwork two times in as many seconds! Silva lays a nice ball back for Vidal who hits it first time. It’s a controlled slice drifting away from Rui Patricio, the ball hits the inside of the post, comes back to Rodriguez, who has the goal at his mercy but can only stick a foot out and loop the rebound back onto the underside of the crossbar! Fonte clears. That was an awkward bouncing ball for the Chile substitute, but an open goal. Vidal looks to the heavens, arms outstretched. Portugal are very lucky to still be level.
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115 min: Oooof, that’s a nasty challenge from Andre Gomes on Vidal! Gomes is struggling here with the pace, and he’s immediately hooked off for Gelson Martins. The only thing is with that is, I’d fancy Andre Gomes to take a penalty.
114 min: What a lucky escape for Portugal. Chile definitely look to be finishing the stronger here. Cedric makes a desperate challenge on Sanchez, as the Arsenal man nips away on another counter attack. Yellow card, but that was a good foul. Sanchez looking dangerous.
113 min: Penalty appeal for Chile! Silva, just on, latches onto a square ball and bursts past Fonte. Silva goes down easily, but replays show there is a clear trip on Silva. Fonte definitely catches the substitute, but the referee indicates for a goal kick, despite Silva protests. Why hasn’t there been a VAR review? Isn’t this the whole point of the video referees?!
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112 min: Francisco Silva comes on for Chile, on for the clattered Hernandez. It’s more or less a straight swap in the middle of midfield.
111 min: Bruno Alves is given a yellow card. He lead with his elbow for an aerial duel with Hernandez and a caught the Chilean No10. It wasn’t malicious, but there are some referees that might have opted for a harsher punishment.
Updated
109 min: Another dangerous Cedric cross … another superb defensive header from Isla.
MoM today: I’d plump for one of Vidal, Isla or Beausejour. Honourable mentions: Cedric, Diaz. This is Beausejour’s 99th cap for Chile, he would win his 100th in the final!
107 min: Waiting for the obligatory Andre Gomes shot from range … nothing as yet. Updates as and when they happen, guys.
Half-time in extra-time: Portugal 0-0 Chile
Fifteen minutes to go.
105 min: Aranguiz breaks into space for Chile, and then slips over. It’s looking like we will go to penalties.
103 min: Some more predictions:
“I will back Chile if the game were to head to penalties,” emails Jonah Lowoyan. “Alexis Sanchez deciding the final outcome of the shootout with a cheeky panenka will most certainly give me great satisfaction and pleasure.”
“I took Chile in regular time and have now jumped ship and bet Portugal to advance. If Chile wins in PK I will lose all bets so rooting for Portugal,” says Josh Furrow. “I’m at work so I can’t watch and have missed an hour of work straight refreshing your posts.”
“Why have the Portuguese not been able to take advantage their height?” asks Paul Cox. “Are the Chileans jumping higher? Good at winning the second balls? If it goes to penalties, Portugal wins. Not the result I want, but there’s a dull inevitability about Ronaldo winning everything.”
Poor crossing Paul, Cedric aside. And both Isla and Jara have defended very well.
101 min: The quality of Portugal’s subs is frightening. They make their third change: João Moutinho on, Adrien Silva off.
99 min: Vidal is everywhere. He’s first to meet Ronaldo on the edge of his own box, getting a crucial toe-poke to deny the Portuguese on the turn. Not two minutes later, it is Vidal who meets Isla’s cross. His header is goalbound, but Fonte’s block takes the sting out of the effort.
96 min: José Fonte booked for an across Sanchez, after the Arsenal man had given him the slip on the left wing.
95 min: Inches wide from Sanchez! Isla gets forward well and crosses to the Portugal penalty spot. Sanchez is completely unmarked, but plants his header just wide! That was so close! It looked as though it was in, then the spin took it wide.
Updated
94 min: Portugal have two subs left, including the extra one they get in extra time. Would like to see Gelson Martins come on for Andre Gomes. The Sporting Lisbon winger has lightning pace and could cause a lot of problems to a tiring Chilean defence.
92 min: Yet another kick-off, yet another wasted Andre Gomes shot from range. This time it’s 15 yards over the bar. Andre Gomes is now playing more centrally, with Quaresma and Nani parading the flanks.
Peeeeeep! We go again, readers.
Who are you backing if the game goes to penalties? Remember Chile have won the last two Copa America titles on penalties in the final. Email michael.butler@theguardian.com or tweet me @michaelbutler18.
Despite the scoreline, this has been an enthralling game. Only in the last 10 minutes has the quality dropped off.
Updated
End of 90 minutes: Portugal 0-0 Chile
To extra time we go!
90+4 min: Both teams are knackered. This is their fourth game in nine days. A lot will depend on the substitutes in extra time.
90+2 min: “If this game goes to extra-time, fatigue levels will be a major factor. Portugal have had an additional day’s rest, while Chile played an incredibly physical encounter against Australia on Sunday. The organisers of this tournament certainly did not place too much emphasis on player wellbeing - the teams were required to play three group games in a week, some travelling up to 3,000km to get between Sochi, Saint Petersburg, Moscow and Kazan.”
90 min: Three added minutes coming. Then extra-time, if there’s no goal.
88 min: “Hi Michael,” emails Peter Oh, “I share Luke Forrester’s puzzlement about confederation obfuscation. Also, my son asked me why Antarctica isn’t represented. He didn’t seem satisfied with my explanation (only a few scientists live there; they’re from other continents and besides, they’re probably no good at football. I’ve never heard of an FC Gondwana).”
@michaelbutler18 Agree with Luke Forester, bit like Australia being in Eurovision, but don't forget French and Spanish island in Caribbean
— JJ (@E_clic_tic) June 28, 2017
87 min: Chile finally make a change, that’s been coming – they’ve been flagging for the last 20 minutes. Vargas off, Rodriguez on.
86 min: Close from Ronaldo! He’s stronger than Isla at the back post as Cédric’s cross comes in, just wide!
84 min: Portugal make their second change: Quaresma on for Bernardo Silva, who looks exhausted. Remember he was also carrying a knock from Portugal’s last game, so maybe I’ve been a little harsh re below.
82 min: Manchester City fans, I’ll say this about Bernardo Silva. He’s not quick, especially for someone that often plays wide, as he is today. The 33-year-old Beausejour had three yards to make up on the Portuguese and he did it with ease. Perhaps Pep has signed Bernardo Silva as a successor to David Silva, but the Spaniard is still two or three years away from dropping off IMO. I’d rather play with Leroy Sané out wide, personally. Bernardo Silva has bags of quality but I’m not sure he’s an upgrade for Manchester City. And £43.6m is a lot to pay for a squad player. Maybe I’ll be proved wrong.
79 min: Chile have taken the sting out of the game, knocking the ball around the back. It’s boring but necessary: their players need to catch a breath.
76 min: Vidal aside (he’s been everywhere this second half), Chile look like they are tiring. But it is Portugal who are going to make the first change: André Silva off, Nani on. Not a bad idea with the Milan striker on a yellow card. Nani will join Ronaldo up front, just as he did last summer at the Euros.
Updated
74 min: “Suriname “could” easily win a copa America according to this,” emails Sebastian Galarza Suarez. “Some great players, including Seedorf, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.”
Hasselbaink is a pundit for this game in the ITV studio. He’s been shocking, by the way.
Updated
72 min: Portugal break with purpose. Andre Gomes has flickered between the dreadful and the useful tonight, this time it’s the latter, and he links well with Ronaldo. Ronaldo reaches the edge of Chile’s box and lets fly, his shot taking a deflection and looping towards the top corner … just wide! Bravo was just a spectator there, rooted to the spot as it sailed over him. 0-0 still.
Updated
69 min: A woeful corner from Portugal. Nearly every single one of their players is taller than their Chile counterparts, so what do that do? Take it short, and then lose the ball.
67 min: Another little note from our man in Kazan, Kieran Pender:
The primary disappointment of the Confederations Cup, which has otherwise been fantastically organised, has been the lack of atmosphere at games. Most matches have been sparsely attended, with the official attendance statistics looking rather suspect. Tonight represents a major improvement. Kazan Arena’s stands are probably 85-90% full, and the large contingent of travelling Chilean fans are in full voice. An impressive atmosphere for an impressive game of football.
Ps. How great is football. What a game. The Confederations Cup haters can go to hell - this tournament has been ace.
65 min: Eliseu is fouled by Vargas. It’s 30 yards out, Ronaldo territory, if we’re still allowed to call it that. To be honest, I don’t think we are, can’t remember the last one of these he scored. Ronaldo hits it … high and wide.
64 min: I genuinely have no idea who is going to win this.
62 min: Ronaldo is finding space on Chile’s right flank, he slips Andre Gomes into the channel. His cross is blocked, was that with a hand from Isla? Portugal appeal for a penalty, but not given. A minute later, Vidal tries his luck from range … a yard over! Rui Patricio was scrambling, he wasn’t sure!
60 min: No idea how this game is still 0-0.
58 min: The game explodes back into life. Andre Gomes holds Sanchez off well and plays a clever ball forward to Andre Silva, who has acres of space to gallop into. The ball eventually makes its way to Ronaldo on the left. He checks inside and whacks a monstrous shot towards the roof of the net, Bravo is equal to it palming it away. That was straight at him but came very, very quickly.
56 min: Corner to Chile. Araguiz whips it in, Fonte does well to head away the initial cross, but Vargas controls the ball well with one touch and tries a spectacular overhead kick with his second. Rui Patricio scrambles to his near post and just tips it behind! Great skill, and good goalkeeping, I’m pretty sure Rui Patricio’s head collided with the post after he made that save.
Updated
54 min: A nasty clash of heads between Andre Silva and Jara, leaves the former on the deck. A quick rub with the Magic Sponge and both players are up and about.
52 min: What a chance for Vidal! He gets in front of Eliseu at the back post as Beausejour delivers an inch-perfect cross, but just gets under it and heads over the bar from six yards out. Oooooo, he should score. Portugal should know better, Vidal is the only outfield Chile player anyway near 6ft tall.
Beausejour for the Ballon D’Or!
Updated
50 min: Hernandez is booked for sliding into William Carvalho dangerously.
49 min: Chile have started the stronger, just as they finished the end of the first half the better side. Just to note, if we’re still level at 90 minutes, we’ll go to extra-time, and then penalties if need be. Remember we do also have the new innovation of a fourth substitute available during extra time, which is a very sensible thing. Means the game keeps some kind of tempo, and reduces the risk of players getting injured after 110 minutes of running around.
47 min: We start the second half in the same manner we started the first: with a skewed Andre Gomes shot. He keeps finding nice pockets of space between the lines, but doesn’t seem to have the quality from 25 yards.
Peeeeep! And we’re off again.
An email, from Luke Forrester.
“Sorry to deviate from the action at hand a bit, but since it’s tangentially related, with this being the Confederations Cup, I was wondering if you had any idea why the confederations for association football are arranged in the way they are. It’s always been a low-level rankle for me. That is, what I mean to ask is why, for example, Guyana and Suriname are members of Concacaf, despite being situated in South America? I understand that they have Caribbean cultures, but when has this ever been the deciding factor, cf. Israel, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan being members of Uefa?
Australia now plays in the AFC because they kept winning the Oceanian games, but at this point isn’t it worth merging the Oceania Football Confederation nations into Asian qualifying more generally? To add further confusion (and, in this purists’ mind, adding to the Mickey Mouse feel of proceedings) the Copa America is open to invited guests, including those famous South American countries Japan and the United States (but not Suriname, Guyana or French Guiana, who obviously made the mistake of actually being located in South America). Rant over. If you’d like to discuss it more I’m generally found in the kitchen at parties.”
Some good points there. I can’t say I’m too hot on Guyana, but I would guess that it is a combination of cultural similarity to the Caribbean nations – the only South American nation to speak English and I think it was originally part of the British West Indies – and also to do with the standard of football. I would also guess the same applies to Suriname, but from their association with the Dutch.
Half-time reading, featuring Pepe.
Half-time: Portugal 0-0 Chile
An excellent half of football. There should have been two or three goals.
45 min: One minute added on here.
44 min: Andre Silva and Medel tussle at the back post as Eliseu throws a deep cross into the box. The ball drops nicely for Andre Silva, but a combination of covering defenders and Claudio Bravo forces him wide. Andre Silva tosses a hopeful cross into the box, but Isla clears for a corner. Both teams stream towards the referee: Andre Silva wants a penalty, Chile want … I’m not sure what they want. Anyway, Andre Silva gets all up in the ref’s grill, and is promptly shown a yellow card.
42 min: Great position for Chile to deliver a dangerous free-kick … and Aranguiz fails to beat the first man. Why isn’t Sanchez taking that? He’s 5ft6in, not exactly going to be a towering presence at the back stick, is he?
Updated
39 min: Cedric has kept Sanchez extremely quiet. The Southampton man was linked with a move to Barcelona in this morning’s Rumour Mill …
36 min: Our man in Kazan, Kieran Pender, has spent the day wondering around the city and soaking up the atmosphere in the stadium. Stay tuned for his match report after this MBM. He’s also just sent me this tidbit:
Kazan in Russia’s south-west is often likened to Istanbul for being a meeting point of Eastern and Western influences. It is where Russian Orthodox Christianity encounters the Islam of the local Tartars, and the Qolşärif Mosque is one of the city’s stunning landmarks. Ethnic Tartars make up almost half of the population, and Tartar - a Turkic language - is widely spoken alongside Russian. Kazan will host four group stage games, a round of 16 match and a quarter final in 2018. Tonight, locals held up a sign before kick-off reading: ‘Looking forward to seeing you again.’
Updated
34 min: As well as Beausejour is playing going forward, he’s becoming a little overwhelmed on Chile’s left hand side. Bernardo Silva keeps playing clever little passes to the overlapping Cedric. The Southampton man delivers a brilliant cross to the back post, only good tracking from Aranguiz prevents Ronaldo from heading Portugal into a lead.
Forgot to mention, William Carvalho clattered into Vidal a couple of minutes ago. He was booked.
32 min: An email! “I’ve always liked Jean Beausejour as a player, and I’ve never understood why he didn’t get a chance at a bigger club than Birmingham or Wigan,” says Kári Tulinius. “Mind you, featuring in Birmingham’s League Cup final win isn’t such a bad thing to have on your CV. Nor, indeed, winning two Copa America titles as a starter with your national team.”
The man also has a FA Cup winners medal! (although he didn’t play in the final due to injury).
30 min: Beausejour leaves Bernardo Silva for dead down Chile’s left (lol), swings a cross in. Vidal tries the bicycle kick but only deflects the ball into Araguiz’s path. The Bayer Leverkusen man has more time than he thinks, slicing his volley wide from 10 yards out. Great chance! This is a good spell for Chile.
28 min: Vidal is fouled, but he takes the free-kick quickly and releases Isla down the right. It’s a clever cross and Aranguiz meets it at the near post, looping his effort towards the back post, but it drops just wide.
26 min: Ronaldo gets a yard free, but Isla slides in to make a brilliant slide tackle. The Cagliari defender has started brilliantly.
24 min: Jara picks up a belated yellow card for catching Andre Silva in that last move.
Updated
22 min: Adrien Silva is running tings in the middle for Portugal. He’s kept Vidal quiet and thrusts Portugal forward once more with inch perfect pass to Ronaldo. After a fabulous defensive header from Isla, the move fizzles out with a weak shot from Adrien Silva, another Sporting Lisbon man. The club are well represented in this squad: Beto, Gelson Martins and Rui Patricio also making up the numbers.
Updated
20 min: Hernandez is down, after a tough tackle from William Carvalho. High foot with studs up, but there was no real intent from the Sporting Lisbon man. I’ve been quietly impressed with William Carvalho this tournament: composed in possession in front of that back four, and strong when he doesn’t have the ball. He’s keeping João Moutinho out the team, so that’s something. Hernandez is back on his feet, he’s fine.
18 min: Claudio Bravo gets an awkward backpass from Jara, but deals with it neatly, turning inside with a dummy to send Andre Silva the other way. Are you watching Pep?!
16 min: Chile are being very physical with Ronaldo.
14 min: Cedric swings in a cross, and Vidal comes through Ronaldo like a train, winning the ball cleanly but leaving the Real Madrid man on the deck. Cheers go up in the crowd. There were reports that Vidal called Ronaldo a “smart ass” earlier this week, but the Chile press officer has since come out and said it was a translation error. Hmmm.
12 min: The game hits its first lull, as Portugal enjoy a couple of minutes of uninterrupted possession. Chile won’t mind that.
9 min: Bruno Alves, never one to shy away from a bit of afters, clashes with Vidal. It’s just handbags, I wonder who would come off the better in a street fight. Bruno Alves looks hard, old-hard, like one of your mates’ dads. I’m backing him.
7 min: What a start to this game! Now it’s Portugal who should have taken the lead. Ronaldo gets free down the left, and threads a perfect low cross between defender and goalkeeper to Andre Silva … saved by Bravo! The weight on that pass from Ronaldo was something else, and the save wasn’t bad eight, but Andre Silva should have scored – it was essentially a tap in at the back post.
Updated
6 min: What a chance for Chile! Sanchez turns on a sixpence, plays a reverse pass and Vargas is in the clear! He’s one-on-one but takes far too long to get the ball on his stronger right foot and Rui Patricio does well to come out and spread himself. Great save! Vargas was probably offside there, so there is a chance his effort would have been ruled out via VAR, should he have found the net.
4 min: Portugal have started the better. Andre Silva does well to latch onto a ball in the channel and wins a free-kick on Chile’s byline. Portugal have a real height advantage from set-pieces, but the free-kick is too deep.
2 min: Diaz is caught in possession, and suddenly Andre Gomes finds himself in acres of space on the edge of Chile’s box … but he can’t get the ball out of his feet and in the end scuffs a weak shot straight at Bravo. Andre Gomes has had a poor season at Barcelona since his big-money move from Valencia, this is an opportunity to remind his employers what he’s capable of.
Peeeeeeep! And we’re off!
The teams are out. Portugal in their red and green number, Chile in a rather fetching white away kit. Anthems in progress. I’m pleased to report that Alexis Sanchez has a lovely voice. Vidal too! The band gives up way before Chile are finished, but it doesn’t matter, Sanchez and co carry on a cappella.
There are plenty of Chile fans inside the stadium in Kazan, which is both surprising and pleasing to see. Apparently there are 2,000-odd that have made the trip from South America. There are almost no Portugal fans to be seen.
Our first prediction, it’s a bold one.
“@michaelbutler18” https://t.co/9Vm7zpxYv8 Chile 3 Portugal 2
— Jorge Russo (@russo_vainroj) June 28, 2017
Updated
We’re about 20 minutes from kick-off. Send me your hopes/dreams/predictions @michaelbutler18 on Twitter, or on email michael.butler@theguardian.com.
Pepe is, of course, suspended so West Ham’s José Fonte comes into the centre of defence. Eliseu also comes in at left back, with Dortmund’s Raphael Guerreiro suffering an foot injury, although there is confusion as to whether it is a fracture or just heavy bruising.
“Thank you for your messages, I have a fracture, but it happened three months ago,” Guerreiro posted in both Portuguese and French before the message was withdrawn. “Fortunately, the fracture is not causing me any pain, but I can’t put my foot on the ground or move.
His club Dortmund then released a statement saying Guerreiro only had “deep bruising on his foot”, reportedly on the area where he suffered a hairline fracture weeks ago.
Bernardo Silva has passed a fitness test. He rolled his ankle scoring against New Zealand during the group stage.
Updated
The teams
Portugal 4-4-2: Rui Patricio; Cedric, Bruno Alves, Fonte, Eliseu; Bernardo Silva, William Carvalho, Adrien Silva, Andre Gomes; Ronaldo, Andre Silva.
Subs: Jose Sa, Beto, Luis Neto, Joao Moutinho, Nelson Semedo, Danilo Pereira, Pizzi, Nani, Gelson Martins, Quaresma.
Chile 4-3-1-2: Bravo; Isla, Medel, Jara, Beausejour; Aranguiz, Diaz, Hernandez; Vidal; Sanchez, Vargas
Subs: Toselli, Herrera, Mena, Roco, Silva, Fuenzalida, Sagal, Paulo Diaz, Gutierrez, Rodriguez, Valencia, Puch.
For more preview words, you could do a lot worse than read this from Martin Laurence.
Preamble
Hello world! Welcome to the Confederations Cup semi-final between Portugal and Chile ! Cristiano Ronaldo and Alexis Sánchez! There will be 20 other players taking to the field, some of them very good at football, but it is hard to see past the tournament’s biggest two superstars going head to head.
Ronaldo, as is his wont, has not let us down thus far. Three matches, two goals, three man-of-the-match awards (even if the last of those against New Zealand was bizarrely awarded to Him instead of Andre Silva, who registered an assist and this wonderful solo goal) to help Portugal top Group A. Sánchez is yet to hit full stride in the much tougher Group B, but he did become Chile’s all-time top scorer with a crucial strike against Germany. Both players’ futures remain unresolved at club level, especially Sánchez who is looking increasingly likely to leave Arsenal for Manchester City.
Of course, this semi-final is much more about two players, although when Sanchez (and Arturo Vidal) is omitted, Chile look a little light, QPR reject Eduardo Vargas is probably their next best out-and-out forward, whilst Mauricio Isla (formerly QPR), Gonzalo Jara (formerly Nottingham Forest) and 33-year-old Jean Beausejour (formerly Wigan) make up their defence alongside the dependable Gary Medel (formerly of Cardiff). Not exactly blockbuster is it, but it’s that kind of underestimation that helped Chile to back-to-back Copa America titles.
Portugal look a lot less dependant upon their own No7. Along with Ronaldo, they have plenty of excellence and experience in Pepe, Quaresma, Nani, João Moutinho, and a young blood in Bernardo Silva, (now of Manchester City), the aforementioned Andre Silva (now of Milan) and Gelson Martins (linked with Liverpool) among others. It’s a naturally attacking team, although this might suit Chile on the counter-attack.
In an ideal world, this would have been our final, the other semi-final of course consisting of Germany - who have left most of their World Cup-winning players at home - and a Mexico side that were lucky to get a draw against Portugal and only just squeezed past both poor New Zealand and Russia sides. But it’s not, and that’s to our benefit, to brighten our Wednesday. Let’s hope it’s raining goals in Kazan.
Kick off: 7pm BST.
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