“Ecuador is coming to Santiago on Tuesday, where the victory would be to put together a party,” says the Chilean press

If until a month ago the Chilean team was out of all discussion for a ticket to the Qatar-2022 World Cup, the 1-0 victory in its visit to Paraguay on Thursday places it in an unexpected fourth place … but how did this happen ?

La Roja adds 16 points and took fourth place in the World Cup, due to the victory (1-0) of Argentina last Friday over Uruguay in Montevideo that closed the thirteenth date.

The victory in the complicated visit to Guaraní lands is the third in line for the Chilean team, and the football recovery of the Golden Generation led by Alexis Sánchez and Arturo Vidal has a lot to do with it.

“Old rockers are serious stuff! Never give them up for dead … Chile is more alive than ever, “said the well-known Argentine rapporteur and commentator Pablo Giralt on his social networks, in a message with images of Alexis, Gary Medel, Claudio Bravo and the King Arthur.

At the beginning of October, Chile was eighth, far from dreaming of a place in Qatar and to top it off, it lost the Pacific Classic to Peru. Uruguayan technical director Martín Lasarte was undesirable among the fans as well as some players whose time for the Chilean team seemed to end.

But at the Defensores del Chaco stadium on Thursday, Lasarte finished consolidating the group and managing to organize a team that mixes veteran men with young men eager to win a place. Although it was not the most lucid game on the squad, it was tactically good: he gave up just one corner kick, one of the weapons of the renowned Paraguayan passing game.

Alexis smiles again

Alexis Sánchez at the age of 32 became a child again with a fantastic mischief from the corner, which with the complicity of goalkeeper Antony Silva returned the smile that had not been seen for a long time. His physical and mental recovery has also been an important point in this rebirth of Chile.

The goal “was an enlivened one, one of those that he has had so much in his career, and that began to prepare them at the beginning in the streets of Tocopilla, today they put the two-time champion of America with direct tickets to the next World Cup,” the newspaper reported Third.

In the streets of Santiago, fans with T-shirts were seen again, smiling and hopeful for the recovery of the national team. “There is still a country, gentlemen,” said a fan to others in the subway in the Chilean capital.

On Tuesday (19:16), Chile will host Ecuador without striker Ben Brereton and central defender Enzo Roco, suspended due to accumulation of yellow cards, while the Pitbull Gary Medel is doubtful due to injury.

“Ecuador is coming to Santiago, on Tuesday, where the triumph would be to put together a party,” he closed Third. (D)