Chile vs Honduras World Cup Match
La previa (before the match)
This World Cup opening game for Chile started at 7.30am local time which meant it would finish after normal opening hours. So what did people do?
Some people went to work a lot earlier than usual to watch the game there whereas others just turned up late. In our case, we opened the office an hour and a half later than normal so that everyone could watch it in the comfort of their home. Who would have come in anyway?
I had to drop my son off at school though fortunately they opened earlier today (at 7) so that the children could watch it together with their other sleepy-eyed classmates.
Of course the streets were quickly emptying as the kick-off drew closer and the only people to be seen where those that were literally running to catch the start of the match.
The Match
The game was great to watch though nerve-wracking. Even though Chile dominated and had many opportunities, the first and only goal in the 34th minute by Jean Beausejour seemed to take an eternity to come. At the same time, since it was only a one-goal lead, the rest of the match and especially the last 20 minutes were TERRIBLE. Last minute counter-attacks and near misses by a desperate Honduras helped spawn a couple of near ulcers. When the final whistle was blown… a deep sigh of relief ensued.
Personally I think Chile deserved to win by a lot more but I suppose the victory still counts and those 3 points will go down very well. I liked how Chile was very offensive and not defensive as has been the tonic so far in this world cup by nearly all the teams (other than Germany).
This was Chile’s first World Cup win since 1962 (when it was actually held in Chile). When Chile was in the 1998 edition in France, they drew all of their three matches before being kicked out by Brazil in the second stage.
Something was missing
Something that I missed was the chanting in the stadium of:
C – H – I… CHI.
ELE… LE.
CHI CHI CHI, LE LE LE, VIVA CHILE!
This typical chant at international games played by Chile was droned out by the buzzing-bee drone of the vuvuzelas (personally I dislike them).
Do you think that Chile deserved the win against Honduras?
