Argentina and Chile in Copa America Pole Position After Quarter-Final Fireworks

Any one of the four teams still alive in the Copa America Centenario could walk away with the trophy. The smart bet, however, is on a repeat of 2015's final, after both Argentina and Chile made a big statement of intent in their quarter-final clashes.

The two teams that closed the 2015 edition with an emotional penalty-shootout victory for the Roja had an early rematch in Group D. The Albiceleste, even without Lionel Messi on the pitch, edged that clash with a thoroughly professional display, with goals from Angel Di Maria and Ever Banega sealing a 2-1 win.

That victory was the first of four consecutive triumphs for Gerardo Martino's men so far in the tournament. The last team to manage such a feat in the Copa was also Argentina, under the instruction of Alfio Basile in 2007.

But with 14 goals scored and just two conceded in their first 360 minutes of football, they have topped even that memorable side in front of the net. That Albiceleste team, moreover, boasted the talents of Juan Roman Riquelme, Esteban Cambiasso, Roberto Ayala, Carlos Tevez and others, including a young Messi, who was on the path to becoming the best footballer in the world. 

Basile's side famously imploded in the 2007 final, their dynamic football coming unstuck once again against the archpragmatist Dunga. And the Argentina team is desperate to avoid a repeat of that defeat and, more closer to home, the twin failures of 2014 and 2015 at the final hurdle. 

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

"The pressure is always there," defender Nicolas Otamendi told reporters shortly after full time blew on Argentina's 4-1 destruction of Venezuela in the quarter-finals. "We have lost two finals and it leaves a mark on you."

But the Manchester City man was adamant the players could not get ahead of themselves while underdogs United States await in the last four: "We have to think solely in the match against the US and not get carried away."

Martino echoed his centre-back's sentiments in the post-match press conference, insisting Argentina "have to focus on the next opponent." But Tata, who has been on the losing side of the last two Copa America finals with Paraguay and the Albiceleste, could not resist thinking about glory.

"Nobody can guarantee anything, but neither can anybody take this dream away from us," he told reporters. 

On the western side of the Andes, meanwhile, Chile's dream of taking back-to-back Copas looked more likely to turn into a nightmare at the start of the tournament. Messi-less Argentina were 2-1 winners in Santa Clara, California, and only a stoppage-time penalty gave the Roja a far-from-convincing win over Bolivia in their second clash.

In the meantime, the vultures were already circling over manager Juan Antonio Pizzi, and even Barcelona's goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was not immune to criticism. But in the spirit of all great champions, Chile answered back with a simply marvellous display to take down Mexico 7-0 on Saturday, a result that shattered the hopes of a nation whose group performances had installed them as dark horses to take the title. 

With six goals in the competition to date, Eduardo Vargas has netted more than he did in two seasons and 46 games of league football for Queens Park Rangers and Hoffenheim. The striker is a prime case of a player who knows exactly what his role is for the national team and executes it to perfection, even if his club form is less than impressive.

Edu has scored 31 goals in his 58 Chile caps, a ratio above one every two games. His record at club level is just one in four, and even that number is inflated by the two brilliant years he spent at Universidad de Chile under Jorge Sampaoli. He is the focal point of the Roja attack, flanked by Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal, whose absence in the semi-final will be felt dearly by Pizzi as he looks to overcome Colombia on Tuesday. 

"It is very easy to say that when you lose you are useless, and when you win you are not," Pizzi fired in his post-match conference following the Mexico rout, a veiled dig at journalists in Chile who have yet to take to the ex-San Lorenzo and Valencia trainer. "This team has come from writing the most brilliant page in the history of Chilean football, but we hope to keep meeting our goals." 

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

Neither Pizzi nor Martino has had an easy time with some of the most demanding fans in football. But the quarter-finals showed Argentina and Chile have not been toppled from their position at the summit, and they remain the two best sides in the Americas.

Does that make the semis a foregone conclusion? Not a chance. Anything could happen over the course of 90 minutes, and the two underdogs know each favourite has its Achilles' heel. 

Against Argentina, the equation is simple: stop Messi and the team loses a great deal of its attacking potency. Venezuela tried and failed to do that on Saturday, but if the U.S. are successful in doing so, they at least have a chance of taking the Albiceleste to the lottery of a penalty shootout. 

Chile, meanwhile, remain vulnerable at the back. Jose Pekerman's Colombia have the tools up front, with James Rodriguez, Edwin Cardona and Carlos Bacca, to put the holders on the defensive. A noted scholar of the game, Pekerman will undoubtedly have watched closely how Argentina's high pressing on the likes of Gary Medel and Eugenio Mena taking the ball out from the back bore fruit and will attempt a similar strategy of suffocation on Tuesday. 

Both the United States and Colombia will be hoping to put those weaknesses in full view, and neither team will be easy to take down. But the football panorama remains unchanged after 12 months—the two 2015 Copa finalists remain the teams to beat, and a tantalising repeat of that tense decider could well be on the cards.