Chile beat Portugal in penalty shootout to reach final

Chile men's football team defeated Portugal 3-0 in a penalty shootout in the Confederations Cup semi-final.

Result of 120 minutes of play: Portugal 0-0 Chile (penalty 0-3)

Goalkeeper Claudio Bravo became the hero for Chile when he successfully saved all three penalties from the Portuguese strikers. Ricardo Quaresma, Joao Moutinho and Nani all had to suffer defeat due to the judgment and reflexes of the Man City goalkeeper, while Cristiano Ronaldo did not have time to shoot because he registered in the fifth round.

In contrast to Portugal's zero penalty success rate, Chile found the back of the net in all three of their first three penalties. Arturo Vidal, Charles Aranguiz and Alexis Sanchez all completed their duties, sending the Copa America champions into the 2017 Confederations Cup final.

Goalkeeper Bravo made excellent saves of three penalty kicks. Photo: Reuters

Before winning on penalties, Chile were also the team with more dangerous attacks. The video assistant referee system made a mistake when it failed to detect Jose Fonte's clear foul on Francisco Silva in the Portuguese penalty area. Vidal and Martin Rodriguez also caused trouble for the European champions with their shots hitting the woodwork twice.

Contrary to experts' predictions, Chile played better than Portugal from the very beginning. Goalkeeper Ruo Patricio had to work early when he rushed out to catch the ball right next to Eduardo Vargas. Not long after that, Aranguiz had a header and a volley that both missed the Portuguese goal.

A situation where Chile threatens the Portuguese goal.

The European champions had just one dangerous opportunity in the first half: Andre Silva's shot towards Bravo. It was not until early in the second half that the Iberian side had a second chance when Andre Gomes' shot went wide.

After creating an opportunity for Andre Silva, Ronaldo played quietly until midway through the second half, when the star wearing the No. 7 shirt fired a shot straight at Bravo. The Portuguese captain had another free kick, a header and a shot that deflected off an opposing defender, but all were unsuccessful.

Chile became much more dangerous as they entered extra time. Sanchez threatened Portugal with a header that missed the target by inches, beforeThe referee denied the South American team a penalty after Fonte fouled Silva. Vidal then hit the right post of the Portuguese goal and Rodriguez hit the crossbar with his rebound.

Ronaldo could not help Portugal overcome Chile.

Missing the chance to win in 120 minutes of play, Chile still managed to materialize their advantage on the 11m mark. The penalty shootout and 100% successful saves helped the Copa America champions win early with a score of 3-0.

In the final, Chile will face the winner of the Germany-Mexico match. The final and third-place match will both take place on July 2.

Chilean players celebrate victory.

According to VNE