Both sides of South American football have been on
show in Chile with controversy high on the agenda but not enough to
distract from some electrifying football on the pitch
Neymar's four-match ban for a red card against Colombia - and subsequent ill-discipline further down the tunnel - has no doubt robbed the Copa America of star quality, while Arturo Vidal's arrest following a drunken Ferrari smash casts a pall over the host nation, Chile, and their quest to end a 99-year wait for continental glory.
Each event could on its own have scuffed the lustre of these games; the hosts' best player and the biggest name here may have damaged their own personal reputations for on and off field indiscretions but neither Vidal's nor Neymar's behaviour have been enough to overshadow what has been an engaging and high-quality Copa America thus far.
"South American football has shown the best and worst of its repertoire," wrote former Argentina coach Carlos Bianchi in his ESPN Argentina column this week. "Its strengths and weaknesses, its bright side and its dark side. The eternal self-destruct button that means it fails to achieve its full potential."
While some of the behaviour has been suspect, the football has been of a high order with Chile leading the way. The decision to stagger the last round of matches for maximum television exposure has, perhaps, cost us some drama as teams were routinely kicking off knowing what was required to progress. It meant a temporary lull as certain groups reached their conclusions.
The last matchday, however, did deliver exactly what the home support had been waiting for. Chile's 5-0 win against upstarts Bolivia was, by far, the most complete team performance from any side in the group stages. Gary Medel's sublime volley was probably the pick of the goals, too. If Chile can replicate that form in the latter stages of the competition then they will surely take some stopping.
Chile laid down a marker in that game against Bolivia and fellow tournament favourites Argentina were expected to match it in their final group outing against Jamaica. The game, however, was more notable for Deshorn Brown's selfie with Lionel Messi at the final whistle which confirmed that even the players are just as mesmerised by the stardust sprinkled by the Albiceleste No.10 as the fans.
Messi, in truth, has yet to hit his stride, providing only flickers of the form which carried Barcelona to a treble. This Gerardo Martino system has not unlocked the ample talents of Messi, Javier Pastore and Carlos Tevez but Sergio Aguero is gamely leading the fight for the beaten World Cup finalists. He was unfit for that defeat to Germany and is making sure his impact on these championships is greater than in Brazil last summer.
Edinson Cavani, among the star names, is finding the going tough. Without Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan in the Uruguay attack he has been unable to capitalise on a good goalscoring season for Paris Saint-Germain. However, Uruguay have been doughtily resistant so far with Atletico Madrid youngster Jose Maria Gimenez coming into his own in central defence alongside club-mate Diego Godin.
Paraguay produced arguably the come-back of the tournament in their 2-2 opening day draw against star-studded Argentina. Lucas Barrios, Argentine by birth, had no qualms about scoring one of his two tournament goals against his native land and provides a good breakaway threat for a side still led by Roque Santa Cruz.
Bolivia, rank outsiders coming into the tournament, have nonetheless managed to qualify for the knockouts. Their coach, Maurico Soria, has made the most of the limited troops at his disposal with only Marcelo Moreno Martins, perhaps, familiar to casual observers having spent time on loan at Wigan Athletic in the Premier League. Beyond that, they relied on good goalkeeping from Romel Quinonez in their first two games before their capitulation against Chile. Their adventure is unlikely to go beyond the quarter-finals but they have brought plenty of spirit to the competition.
Likewise, nobody gave Peru much of a chance despite their classification as semi-finalists in 2011. They boast Europe-based stars like Jefferson Farfan and Claudio Pizarro as well as strapping striker Paolo Guerrero who is again enticing some of the biggest teams in the world to take a shot on him. Peru under Ricardo Gareca might not have produced spectacular football but they have produced fine results including a gritty 1-0 win over Venezuela and a 0-0 draw with Colombia. No team will fancy solving the puzzle set by Carlos Zambrano and Luis Advincula in the Peruvian backline.
Venezuela set the tone for a tight Group C by blocking out a talented Colombia on matchday one which threatened to put los Cafeteros in serious jeopardy and, against the backdrop of political and social acrimony back home, Noel Sanvicente can be mightily proud of his players' efforts here. That opening game put Radamel Falcao under the spotlight. He spent the group stage goalless and was substituted twice. Jose Pekerman has a big decision to make over his once-great No.9 while James Rodriguez also needs to recapture some of his Real Madrid form if Colombia are to have their say.
Peru have been the collective success story of the tournament but that is not to say that stars have failed to shine. Charles Aranguiz is back on the radar of major clubs thanks to his effervescent and effective displays at the heart of the Chile midfield while Jorge Valdivia has confirmed himself as the best pure playmaker left in South America.
Neymar, too, starred before his implosion and everything Brazil did was likely to rely on the Barcelona standout. However, it all got too much for him. With his expulsion from the Copa went Brazil's legitimate hopes and that in itself is illustrative of the shifting order in South American football.
No longer can the five-time world champions, or Argentina for that matter, stroll around the continent beating all-comers. There is too much talent and organisation in almost every other team to cause them problems, as has been demonstrated at Chile 2015.
Each event could on its own have scuffed the lustre of these games; the hosts' best player and the biggest name here may have damaged their own personal reputations for on and off field indiscretions but neither Vidal's nor Neymar's behaviour have been enough to overshadow what has been an engaging and high-quality Copa America thus far.
"South American football has shown the best and worst of its repertoire," wrote former Argentina coach Carlos Bianchi in his ESPN Argentina column this week. "Its strengths and weaknesses, its bright side and its dark side. The eternal self-destruct button that means it fails to achieve its full potential."
While some of the behaviour has been suspect, the football has been of a high order with Chile leading the way. The decision to stagger the last round of matches for maximum television exposure has, perhaps, cost us some drama as teams were routinely kicking off knowing what was required to progress. It meant a temporary lull as certain groups reached their conclusions.
The last matchday, however, did deliver exactly what the home support had been waiting for. Chile's 5-0 win against upstarts Bolivia was, by far, the most complete team performance from any side in the group stages. Gary Medel's sublime volley was probably the pick of the goals, too. If Chile can replicate that form in the latter stages of the competition then they will surely take some stopping.
Chile laid down a marker in that game against Bolivia and fellow tournament favourites Argentina were expected to match it in their final group outing against Jamaica. The game, however, was more notable for Deshorn Brown's selfie with Lionel Messi at the final whistle which confirmed that even the players are just as mesmerised by the stardust sprinkled by the Albiceleste No.10 as the fans.
Messi, in truth, has yet to hit his stride, providing only flickers of the form which carried Barcelona to a treble. This Gerardo Martino system has not unlocked the ample talents of Messi, Javier Pastore and Carlos Tevez but Sergio Aguero is gamely leading the fight for the beaten World Cup finalists. He was unfit for that defeat to Germany and is making sure his impact on these championships is greater than in Brazil last summer.
Edinson Cavani, among the star names, is finding the going tough. Without Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan in the Uruguay attack he has been unable to capitalise on a good goalscoring season for Paris Saint-Germain. However, Uruguay have been doughtily resistant so far with Atletico Madrid youngster Jose Maria Gimenez coming into his own in central defence alongside club-mate Diego Godin.
Paraguay produced arguably the come-back of the tournament in their 2-2 opening day draw against star-studded Argentina. Lucas Barrios, Argentine by birth, had no qualms about scoring one of his two tournament goals against his native land and provides a good breakaway threat for a side still led by Roque Santa Cruz.
Bolivia, rank outsiders coming into the tournament, have nonetheless managed to qualify for the knockouts. Their coach, Maurico Soria, has made the most of the limited troops at his disposal with only Marcelo Moreno Martins, perhaps, familiar to casual observers having spent time on loan at Wigan Athletic in the Premier League. Beyond that, they relied on good goalkeeping from Romel Quinonez in their first two games before their capitulation against Chile. Their adventure is unlikely to go beyond the quarter-finals but they have brought plenty of spirit to the competition.
Likewise, nobody gave Peru much of a chance despite their classification as semi-finalists in 2011. They boast Europe-based stars like Jefferson Farfan and Claudio Pizarro as well as strapping striker Paolo Guerrero who is again enticing some of the biggest teams in the world to take a shot on him. Peru under Ricardo Gareca might not have produced spectacular football but they have produced fine results including a gritty 1-0 win over Venezuela and a 0-0 draw with Colombia. No team will fancy solving the puzzle set by Carlos Zambrano and Luis Advincula in the Peruvian backline.
Venezuela set the tone for a tight Group C by blocking out a talented Colombia on matchday one which threatened to put los Cafeteros in serious jeopardy and, against the backdrop of political and social acrimony back home, Noel Sanvicente can be mightily proud of his players' efforts here. That opening game put Radamel Falcao under the spotlight. He spent the group stage goalless and was substituted twice. Jose Pekerman has a big decision to make over his once-great No.9 while James Rodriguez also needs to recapture some of his Real Madrid form if Colombia are to have their say.
Peru have been the collective success story of the tournament but that is not to say that stars have failed to shine. Charles Aranguiz is back on the radar of major clubs thanks to his effervescent and effective displays at the heart of the Chile midfield while Jorge Valdivia has confirmed himself as the best pure playmaker left in South America.
Neymar, too, starred before his implosion and everything Brazil did was likely to rely on the Barcelona standout. However, it all got too much for him. With his expulsion from the Copa went Brazil's legitimate hopes and that in itself is illustrative of the shifting order in South American football.
No longer can the five-time world champions, or Argentina for that matter, stroll around the continent beating all-comers. There is too much talent and organisation in almost every other team to cause them problems, as has been demonstrated at Chile 2015.
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