Alexis Sanchez’s Disappointing Copa Forgotten with Title-Winning Penalty

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: July 6, 2015

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One of the many fascinating aspects of football is the tension between individual and collective glory. The team wins, but some of its members are more important to the triumph than others. This tension was a part of Chile's historic first Copa America win.

When the final whistle blew on their semi-final, it was an obvious moment of celebration for the Chile players. They had beaten Peru 2-1 and were through to their first Copa final since 1987, within touching distance of, at last, having something to put in the trophy cabinet.

But there were no signs of joy from Alexis Sanchez. After his fine debut season at Arsenal, he was the man all Chile expected to deliver in the tournament.

Goalkeeper Claudio Bravo may have been the captain; tough defender Gary Medel, with his pit bull-like determination, may have been the one the fans could most easily relate to.

But Sanchez was the one who was going to thrill them, who would twist opposing defences inside out and get the crowd on its feet. True to his nature, Sanchez poured his heart and soul into the challenge. But try as he might, things were not quite turning out the way he expected. He was unlucky in the second game against Mexico, when a perfectly legitimate goal was ruled out for offside. In the next match, against Bolivia, he finally got onto the scoresheet, guiding a header inside the far post.

But the real stuff was the knockout games. And the quarter-final, a tense battle against Uruguay, was not his finest match. Afterward, he complained of not feeling sharp, that he had not felt the usual spring in his legs. It was hardly a surprising observation. In previous months, as he chased every ball on those Premier League grounds, there was always a fear that he might not have enough gas left in the tank when his country needed him most. But perhaps the Peru semi-final would turn out differently for him.



He had his moments. Chile's ope...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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