Argentina and Chile, again, but now in the duel of losers

[Akrapovic]

The Argentines, wounded in their pride, will fight for the third place in the Cup against the Chileans.

The team led by Lionel Scaloni still thinks about the painful, and for them unfair, defeat in the semifinals against Brazil 2-0 at the Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte.

Criticism of Ecuadorian Roddy Zambrano's arbitration, signaled by star Lionel Messi and even by the Argentine Football Association (AFA), which formally presented its complaints to CONMEBOL, still collects in the albiceleste concentration. Messi and company now intend to transform the disconsolate for not being in the Maracana final, in anger and motivation to face at the Corinthians Arena from Sao Paulo to Chile, with which they have several outstanding accounts.

Chile was its executioner in the finals of the Copa América of Chile 2015 and Centenario 2016, in the United States. Both times the Argentines fell in the penalty shootout and the blow was so strong, because in memory there was still the defeat in the final of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil against Germany, that shirt 10 temporarily renounced the selection.

Three years later, the drought of a great title -from the Copa América of 1993 do not win one- continues, although the sensations in this Copa América final are not so depressing. The team has gone from less to more in the competition and begins to form an exciting group.
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Argentina started the tournament with a defeat against Colombia (0-2), tied with Paraguay (1-1), met Qatar (2-0), beat Venezuela in the quarterfinals (2-0) and in the semifinals against Brazil They showed their best version, only the result did not go with them.

The habitual holders are willing to continue with that evolution in the consolation final, although coach Scaloni will not be able to repeat the eleven that dominated the Canarinha.

Two changes will be required by sanction, those of Marcos Acuña and Lautaro Martínez. In the place of the striker of Inter Milan seems almost certain the presence of Paulo Dybala, while the midfielder of Sporting Lisbon there are doubts about whether he will replace Giovani Lo Celso or Angel Di Maria. The sensations are radically different in Chile, where they are still looking for explanations to the unexpected setback by 0-3 against Peru that left them without the possibility of fighting for the triple crown in a row.

Colombian coach Reinaldo Rueda said one of them when he said that they played the semi-final "thinking more" in the final on Sunday at the Maracana. A show of arrogance that may have put the final point to the generation of gold of the Chilean national team, whose main bulwarks are over thirty years of age.

The illusion is minimal to try the bronze in the Corinthians Arena, at least for one of its leaders, Arturo Vidal, who came to claim, after the game against Peru, that the duel with Argentina "has no importance."

The midfielder of Barcelona is also incognito to play for some pains in the ankle, and will be evaluated by doctors on Friday, as well as Gary Medel, who suffers some muscular discomfort. The lateral Jean Beausejour is also limping, although he is willing to risk, one more symptom of the end of the cycle that arrives in Chile.