Chile vs. Peru: Date, Time, Live Stream for 2015 Copa America Semifinal
Host nation Chile will look to continue their march towards a maiden Copa America triumph when they take on Peru in the tournament semi-final.
Jorge Sampaoli’s side have been the standout team at the competition so far and will be the big favourites for this one after getting the better of Uruguay in the quarter-finals. But Peru, who finished third at the competition four years ago, have proven already that they are no pushovers, turning in some strong performances.
With a raucous Santiago crowd set to provide a compelling and colourful backdrop to this one, this is a match not to be missed. With that in mind, here are the key viewing details for this last-four encounter and a closer examination of what to expect from this match.
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Date: Monday, June 29
Time: 8:30 p.m. (Local), 7:30 p.m. (ET), 12:30 a.m. (BST, June 30)
Live Stream: Premier Sports Player (UK), beIN Sports Connect (U.S.)
La Roja Big Favourites to Progress
If Chile do go on and win this competition, manager Jorge Sampaoli deserves masses of credit. Under his tutelage, La Roja have evolved from an entertaining but erratic team into a side that can dominate the top outfit around. But crucially, Sampaoli has refined this team’s identity and that’s been vital to their success here.
La Roja play with an intensity and ferocity that surpasses almost any side in world football. They are a cohesive unit, press with ambition and when they do have the ball, probe with pace and incision. But now they can do all off those enamouring things while preserving an underpinning steeliness too.
As we can see here courtesy of OptaJavier, Chile completely dominated a capable Uruguay team in the quarter-final:
Although they only won 1-0 after the Celeste lost Edinson Cavani to a red card, this was a performance which pointed towards Sampaoli’s men going the whole way. Uruguay are nasty, gnarly and extremely difficult to break down, but La Roja kept their cool in high-pressure circumstances before carving out the goal their play deserved.
It’s these kind of displays which fuel the players and supporters with a real belief too. This is the first time Chile have been back in the semi-final since 1999 after all, and as noted here by sports journalist Tariq Panja, the whole country is united behind their cause:
It’d be naive to rule out Peru, though. Already in this competition they’ve given scares to Brazil and Colombia, and although they were expected to get the better of surprise-package Bolivia in the last-16, there’s a lot to like about Ricardo Gareca’s side.
Considering the Blanquirroja boss only took on the job earlier this year, the manner in which they’ve played to this point is very impressive, as noted by Bleacher Report’s Nick Dorrington:
They have a few star performers. Schalke’s direct winger Jefferson Farfan was back to a level approaching his best last time out having suffered with allergy problems at this tournament, while the creative talents of Christian Cueva on the other flank offer Peru balance.
But the player Chile will have to be most wary of is Paolo Guerrero, who scored a hat-trick in the 3-1 win over Bolivia in the quarters. As we can see here courtesy of WhoScored.com, it was a pretty accomplished display all round from the Flamengo striker:
Given the attacking talent available to Gareca, don’t expect Peru to sit in a la Uruguay. They may try to soak up pressure and play against Chile on the counter-attack, but when they do get a chance to go forward, the Blanquirroja will commit players in support of Guerrero and Claudio Pizarro.
It’s an ambition that’s likely to cost Peru, though. Players likes Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal will revel in the added space they’re likely to be afforded and as they’ve showcased already at this tournament, they are major attacking forces. Expect the angles and ingenuity in Chile’s attack to keep them on course for a glorious end to a gripping Copa.
Prediction: Chile 3-1 Peru
