|
Friday June 13 - 4:00PM | ||
| vs | AUSTRALIA | ||
| FIFA RANKING 13 | FIFA RANKING 59 | ||
 |
 |
||
| HOW THEY QUALIFIED |
|||
| CHILE After Chile started their qualifying campaign by winning 12 of the first 18 points on offer, including away victories in Bolivia and Venezuela, three consecutive defeats (among them two home fixtures against Colombia and Argentina) spelled the end of Argentinian coach Claudio Borghi’s tenure. His compatriot Jorge Sampaoli was brought in as a replacement, although his reign got off to a poor start with a reverse in Peru. Yet the loss marked a turning point in Chile’s campaign, as they subsequently embarked on their best ever run of results in FIFA World Cup™ qualifying, chalking up five victories and a draw in their next six encounters to qualify for a second successive World Cup for the first time. AUSTRALIA Having cruised to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ with two games to spare, Australia entered their second qualifying campaign for the global showpiece since joining AFC targeting a second consecutive and smooth qualification. Instead, the road to Brazil 2014 proved to be a bumpy one for the Socceroos, who had to overcome some erratic form to secure their progression. A narrow comeback win over Thailand and a loss to Oman in the opening stage served as a warning shot, although they ultimately progressed to the next phase as group winners. Then the Australians opened the next round in miserable fashion, drawing against Oman and Japan before losing to Jordan 2-1. Though stunned, they rallied to claw back into contention with a victory over Iraq before two draws and a 4-0 defeat of Jordan put them on the cusp of qualification. They kept their cool in the final match of the round against Iraq as substitute Josh Kennedy scored late to seal their passage through. |
|||
RECENT RESULTS |
|||
| CHILE | AUSTRALIA | ||
| 15/10/13 - CHILE 2-1 ECUADOR 11/10/13 - COLUMBIA 3-3 CHILE 06/09/13 - CHILE 3-0 VENEZUELA |
18/06/13 - AUSTRALIA 1-0 IRAQ 11/06/13 - AUSTRALIA 4-0 JORDAN 04/06/13 - JAPAN 1-1 AUSTRALIA |
||
| PLAYERS TO WATCH | |||
| CHILE Forwards Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas, as well as attacking midfielders Matias Fernandez and Arturo Vidal, are the leading men in a squad packed with talent and boasting viable alternatives in each position. Nor must we forget experienced performers such as Claudio Bravo, Gary Medel and Jorge Valdivia, or exciting rising stars like Jean Beausejour and Marcelo Diaz. |
|||
| AUSTRALIA Tim Cahill remains the team’s undoubted star and talisman with a stunning goal ratio from midfield and equally remarkable heading ability despite his modest stature. Long-serving skipper and central defender Lucas Neill remains a bedrock of the team and has never let his country down regardless of domestic form. A two-goal showing at South Africa 2010 has seen Brett Holman’s profile and importance to the team take a sharp upward trajectory with the midfielder displaying versatility and an impressive short passing game. |
|||
|
BACK TO MATCH CALENDAR > | ||
_sm.jpg)