Upbeat Chile mourns World Cup exit
Reuters - Tuesday 29 June 2010, 03:16
SANTIAGO - Chilean fans grieved their
team's World Cup exit after a crushing defeat against Brazil,
but kept upbeat about the future of the young squad after their
best performance at the tournament in decades.
Chile's transformation from a splintered team with little
talent just a few years ago into a disciplined, attacking unit
under Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa yielded two wins and much
praise at the South Africa tournament.
The team was no match for star-studded Brazil, however, who
put on a show in their 3-0 victory to book a quarter-final
clash against Netherlands.
"We have lost but it doesn't matter because we will be
champions in the next World Cup," said Juan Serna, a
22-year-old student wearing the team's bright red jersey. "We
have the players to win the next cup."
Far from the rowdy scenes that greeted the team's group
victories over Switzerland and Honduras and their loss to Spain
that secured passage to the second round, dejected fans headed
home early from pubs and public squares.
Fans, hundreds of whom had huddled in hopes of a miracle
win against five-times champions Brazil, said their young team
had helped lift the spirits of a nation still reeling from a
massive earthquake in February that killed over 500 people and
wiped out coastal villages in the country's south.
"I want to thank each and everyone of our players ... let's
never forget that Chile is set for great victories in the
future, so let's cheer up because better times are coming,"
Chile President Sebastian Pinera told reporters after the
match.
The streets of the capital Santiago remained mostly quiet
during a religious holiday on Monday, in contrast to earlier
celebrations that saw police make mass arrests.
While no major incidents were recorded after the match,
some 40 people were detained during the day for public
disorder, police said.
The team's best World Cup showing in nearly 50 years has
prompted some towns to propose naming streets and plazas after
players like captain Claudio Bravo.
"I'm a little sad because we have lost, but happy for what
the team has done," said Carla Pulgar, 24, who had her face
painted with Chile's red and blue colors.
"Our happiness may be over, but we are going to go forward
stronger than before because of the way the World Cup united
us."
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