Chile has continued their good run in the FIFA World Cup by beating Switzerland 1-0 in their second match in South Africa. This time the celebrations in the street were a lot louder and more noticeable, but first, the game.
The Game
Switzerland played very defensively (they had two lines of 4 players which was like having 8 players in defense) as they did against Spain depending on fortuitous counter-attacks that never really eventuated. The fact that one of their players was sent off after a red card made then dig their defensive trenches even deeper.
For those that like the sport of extreme-emotion-swings, how about the goal that had all of Chile shouting first with happiness and then in anger as it was quickly disallowed. What a great way to learn a vast range offensive words and insults in only a few minutes.
Eventually the goal in the 75th minute by Mark Gonzalez unleashed euphoria throughout the country. GOOOOOOOOL!!! shouted 16 million people (remember to draw the word out as long as possible).
Just like for the game against Honduras, the nerves set in during the last 15 minutes as a desperate Switzerland tried to claw their way back. When the final whistle blew, a mixture of relief and joyous frenzy settled in. TIME TO CELEBRATE!!!
How to celebrate while in Chile
Plaza Italia is the usual magnet of mayhem for the multitudes that want to celebrate anything Chile wins or does well in and today was no exception. Throngs of red-shirted fans arrived to the heart of the city, jumping, chanting and waving flags.
Cars roam the streets beeping their horns, and if you have someone hanging out of every window you get bonus points, hanging out as you wave a flag… even better (you need monkey-like feet to grip the inside of the car). The police turn a blind eye to this dangerous behaviour, though only for today.
I was impressed by the HUGE Chilean flag flowing behind the vehicle in the photo at the beginning of this post. It was so big that it literally dragged along the street behind the ute.
Did you celebrate Chile’s victory today? If so, how?
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