Chile bounce back by beating Paraguay
Reuters - Wednesday 16 November 2011, 04:59
Chile recovered from Friday's
4-0 pounding by Uruguay and the fallout of a case of
indiscipline to beat Paraguay 2-0 in their South American World
Cup qualifier on Tuesday.
Coach Claudio Borghi, pleased to end a tough week on a high
note after suspending five players for a late, drunken return
from an evening off last week, opened the door for their return
to the team.
"We're very proud [of the result]... it's been the hardest
week as coach, from the human and coaching point of view,"
Borghi told the post-match news conference.
"The process to admit the players back who want to return
is [for them] to publicly clarify what was said, fundamentally
those [statements] which said I did not tell the truth," he
said.
The five players - Arturo Vidal, Jorge Valdivia, Jean
Beausejour, Carlos Carmona and Gonzalo Jara - admitted they
were late and apologised publicly but accused Borghi of lying
about being drunk.
Borghi added that he and the players would have to wait for
the Chilean Football Federation's decision as to how they will
sanction the five.
Chile opened the scoring in the 27th minute when central
defender Pablo Contreras leapt above the defence to head home
Matias Fernandez's corner.
Substitute Matias Campos Toro made the result safe four
minutes from time when he met Mauricio Isla's cross with a shot
from the edge of the box that was deflected in an arc over
goalkeeper Diego Barreto and into the net.
Only a minute earlier, Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo had
come out poorly to a cross and Campos Toro cleared Paraguay's
chance off the line.
It is the second time in the qualifiers, which began last
month, that Chile have recovered at home from heavy defeats on
the road, having also beaten Peru 4-2 last month four days
after their opening 4-1 defeat by Argentina in Buenos Aires.
The victory put Chile on six points from four matches, one
point short of leaders Uruguay, who have a match in hand, and
Argentina.
Paraguay, who took 10 points from their first four matches
of the qualifiers for the last World Cup in South Africa under
former coach Gerardo Martino, have four points.
"The past is past. And we have nothing to do with that,"
coach Francisco Arce said.
"The reality is that we're below the points total we'd
imagined. There's no way left to us but to sort it out
ourselves."