Chilean teams defeat the United States in both men’s and women’s semifinals
Chile is one step away from achieving a historic soccer double at the Pan American Games in Santiago. Both the men’s and women’s teams have reached the gold medal finals after defeating the United States in the semifinals on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
The Chilean men’s team beat the Americans 1-0 on Wednesday night at the Estadio Nacional, where the 1962 World Cup final was played. The only goal of the match came from a penalty kick by Diego Valencia in the 28th minute, after a foul by US defender Henry Kessler on Chilean striker Nicolás Guerra.
The Chilean women’s team also triumphed over the US by a 1-0 scoreline on Tuesday night at the same venue. The decisive goal was scored by Yanara Aedo in the 40th minute, after a cross by Daniela Zamora. The Chilean goalkeeper Christiane Endler made several saves to keep the clean sheet and deny the Americans any chance of equalizing.
Chilean athletes shine in other sports at the Pan Am Games
The soccer victories were not the only achievements for Chile at the Pan Am Games, which are being held in Santiago for the first time. The host nation also won several medals in other sports, such as athletics, fencing, and swimming.
On Wednesday, Martina Weil powered to women’s 400 metre gold at the Coliseo Estadio Nacional, clocking a time of 51.32 seconds. She beat Brazil’s Tiffani Marinho, who took silver with 51.68 seconds, and Colombia’s Yenifer Padilla, who claimed bronze with 51.99 seconds.
On Tuesday, Santiago Adolfo Ford had the home crowd on its feet roaring decathlon gold at the same stadium. He accumulated 8,293 points over 10 events, setting a new national record and a Pan American Games record. He beat Canada’s Pierce Lepage, who took silver with 8,161 points, and Brazil’s Felipe dos Santos, who got bronze with 8,128 points.
In fencing, Andrew Doddo of the United States won gold in the men’s sabre individual finals on Wednesday at the Centro de deportes Paralimpicos. He defeated Argentina’s Pascual Di Tella in the final by a score of 15-11. The bronze medal went to Venezuela’s Antonio Leal, who beat Chile’s Gustavo Alarcón by 15-10.
In swimming, Brazil dominated the pool on Wednesday at the Centro Acuático Estadio Nacional. The Brazilian team won six gold medals out of eight events, breaking four Pan American Games records in the process. The other two gold medals went to Canada and Mexico.
Chile hopes to make history in soccer finals on Saturday
The Chilean soccer teams will face their final opponents on Saturday at the Estadio Nacional. The women’s team will play against Brazil, who beat Canada 4-0 in the other semifinal on Tuesday. The men’s team will face Mexico, who defeated Argentina 2-1 in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in the other semifinal on Wednesday.
Both Chilean teams have never won Pan Am Games gold before and only once before appeared in the final. The men’s team lost to Brazil in 1987, while the women’s team had never reached the semifinals until this edition.
The Chilean fans are hoping that their teams can make history and claim the soccer golden double at home soil. They will be cheering them on with passion and pride as they face two of the strongest teams in the continent.
