Full Time Comment: Chile improved drastically in the second half and the hosts came away with a solid 2-0 win over a rentless Northern Ireland side. The game was quite even in the first half and Chile had some very good chances through the first 60 miuntes, but the final half-hour was a very good showing by Jorge Sampaoli's men. In the end, two assists from Alexis Sanchez ended in goals from Eduardo Vargas and Mauricio Pinilla sealed the deal for a Chilean side that ended their World Cup preparation with a positive result!
90+3' The game finishes and Chile comes away with a 2-0 win over Northern Ireland!!
90+1' Three minutes have been added of stoppage time.
90' Chile moves the ball around as the game is completely owned by them. They're looking for an empty space after a very good performance in the second half.
88' Substitution in Northern Ireland: Evans is replaced by Donnelly
87' Arturo Vidal gets close to score the third goal with a shot from inside the box and later Alexis tries a chipped ball but Carroll saves it with ease.
86' Alexis Sanchez really changed Chile's face in this second half. The FC Barcelona forward assisted both goals and has been instrumental to his side's success!
85' Substitution in Chile: Felipe Gutierrez replaces Marcelo Diaz. There was also a substitution in Northern Ireland as Steele replaces Norwood.
83' A spectacular through ball from Alexis Sanchez finds Mauricio Pinilla who runs inside the box and places it past Roy Carroll to score Chile's second goal!!
82' Mauricio Pinilla doubles Chile's tally and now the hosts are 2-0!!!
81' Alexis Sanchez with a shot from inside the box!! The ball bounces off a defender and the danger is cleared away.
79' A good lobbed pass from Alexis Sanchez finds Eduardo Vargas and the Valencia striker nods the ball just ahead of Roy Carroll's movement. The ball goes into the net and Chile now has a 1-0 lead late in the second half!
79' Goal for Chile!!! Eduardo Vargas finally breaks the deadlock!
78' Substitution in Northern Ireland: Ferguson is replaced by Daniel Lafferty.
77' Double substitution in Chile: Arturo Vidal replaces Gary Medel and Mauricio Pinilla replaces Jorge Valdivia. A standing ovation for Valdivia!!!
76' Arturo Vidal and Mauricio Pinilla are set to enter the game. It has been a curious case the one of Vidal since he has always been on the brink to make the World Cup roster due to a recent injury.
75' What a save from Roy Carroll once again! A rebound in Alexis Sanchez finds the keeper out of position but he sends it away. Corner kick for Chile.
71' Another great save from Roy Carroll!! Marcelo Diaz tries with a long-range effort but the former Manchester United keeper makes another great stop!
70' Substitution in Northern Ireland: Niall McGinn replaces Liverpool youngster Ryan McLaughlin
69' Francisco Silva goes down after another good tackle defensively. It has been a very good performance from Chile on the defensive end but they've lacked accuracy on the attack thus far.
65' The ball hits the post!! Jorge Valdivia has a header from inside the six-yard box after an aerial assist from Gary Medel but the ball hits the wood!
64' Chile looks better with the substitutions. Sanchez and Vargas are world-class players and they shouldn't have issues to face a slower defensive line.
62' Substitution in Northern Ireland: McKay is replaced by Josh Magennis. There was a good cross inside the box but the European side fails to do anything with that chance.
59' Triple substitution in Chile: Fabian Orellana is replaced by Alexis Sanchez, Eduardo Vargas replaces Esteban Paredes and Charles Aranguiz replaces Carlos Carmona.
59' What a save from Roy Carroll!! Jorge Valdivia with a spectacular effort from the edge of the box in a lobbed ball but Carroll stretches to parry the danger away!
58' Chile are ready to make a substitution and Internacional's midfielder Charles Aranguiz is about to come on any minute now.
56' Eugenio Mena puts a low cross but the ball is quite inaccurate. Northern Ireland recovers the ball with ease, like it has done it all night long.
54' Jorge Valdivia with another spectacular pass! Chile's playmaker has been great but Fabian Orellana's fails to control the ball inside the box in a good postion.
53' Chile continues to put pressure on the ball and manages to control the possession, but their attack has been very deficient. That is certainly worrisome for Jorge Sampaoli and it seems like he could introduce a few changes in this second half.
50' McKay with a shot from inside the box!! The ball goes wide and Chile recovers the ball on their own end.
49' Fabian Orellana tries a personal move but the sequence ends up in nothing!
48' Yellow card for Chile midfielder Marcelo Diaz. He's the second booked player for the Chilean side after Gary Medel was booked near half-time.
46' Neither team made substitutions in a match that should open up sooner than later.
46' Chile moves the ball and the second half begins!
Half Time Comment: Chile has looked quite solid on the defensive line but their attacking efforts haven't been very good. Jorge Valdivia has been a spark on the creative side of the ball but the attackers haven't been very good. As for Northern Ireland, they have done their job and they need to improve their attacking stance if they want to take something from this game.
45' The first half slowed down considerably and the referee Carlos Amarilla blows his whistle without giving stoppage time. Both sides go into the dressing room with a scoreless draw.
38' Oliver Norwood blasted a shot from long range but it goes wide!!
28' Chile continues to thrive on the attack but their efforts have been largely inaccurate. Roy Carroll continues to have a very quiet afternoon thus far.
23' Chile continues to put pressure on the attack but Northern Ireland has been solid on defense. Jorge Valdivia appears to be the playmaker of Chile but his teammates haven't been accurate to solve his passing.
21' What a save from Jhonny Herrera!!! A header from inside the box forced Herrera to make a spectacular diving stop and clear the danger away!!
21' Ryan McLaughlin manages to get a foul near the edge of the box and now Northern Ireland could have a good chance on the attack.
19' Eugenio Mena with a shot!!! The left midfielder puts the ball into the box but it goes well wide after another delightful pass from Jorge Valdivia.
17' The costless kick hits the wall and Northern Ireland clears the ball away!
16' Roy Carroll leaves the box while he still had the ball in his hands and now Chile has a dangerous costless kick from the edge of the box.
16' Paredes with a header on target but Roy Carroll saves the ball with ease.
15' Orellana and Paredes form a good passing movement on the attack, but the defense is savvy to clear the ball in the edge of the box. That has been a good society for Chile in the first 15 minutes.
14' Northern Ireland gains a costless kick in a good position on the right flank, but Chile's defensive line is solid to clear the danger away.
12' Fabian Orellana with a clear chance!! Jorge Valdivia puts the ball into the box and the Celta de Vigo striker is unable to reach the ball in a good position!!
10' Fabian Orellana is fouled in midfield by Oliver Norwood! Costless kick for a Chilean team that continues to dominate the ball in midfield.
7' Chile is putting some constant pressure on the ball against an Northern Ireland side that looks unable to do anyting on the defensive end so far!! Good start from a Chilean side that's eager to attack.
7' Marcelo Diaz puts another ball in the box and Esteban Paredes nods it into the box, but the defense clears it out once again.
6' Jose Rojas with another cross!! The Chilean side is putting the ball in the box early and often but so far, Northern Ireland hasn't had any issue on the defensive end.
4' Jorge Valdivia puts another through ball! Mauricio Isla fails to put a good cross on the ball and now Northern Ireland has the ball.
3' Chile are quickly controlling the ball. Marcelo Diaz and Jorge Valdivia are controlling the ball around and the hosts dominate the possession early on.
1' Billy McKay with the first shot on goal!!! Jhonny Herrera contains the ball easily and now Chile has the ball.
1' The game goes underway with Northern Ireland moving the ball!
00.03 Chile Starting XI: Herrera; Medel, Silva, Rojas; Isla, Carmona, Diaz, Mena; Valdivia; Paredes, Orellana
00.02 Northern Ireland Starting XI: Carroll; McLaughlin, Hughes, McLaughlin, McCulloch; Clingan, Davis, Norwood; Evans, Ferguson, McKay
00.00 Both National Anthem have been sang and the game should go underway any minute now!
23.53 As expected, Chile will make some tactical changes. They will have three defenders at the back and two wide midfielders in opposed the 4-3-3 used against Egypt.
23.45 The stadium is slowly starting to fill out for this Chile - Northern Ireland match and we are getting closer to kick-off time for what should be an amazing encounter!!
23.40 Northern Ireland Probable Starting XI: Roy Carroll; Ryan McLaughlin, Luke McCullogh, Aaron Hughes, Chris Baird; Shane Ferguson, Steven Davis, Oliver Norwood, Sammy Clingan, Niall McGinn; Billy McKay
23.35 Chile Probable Starting XI: Jhonny Herrera; Gary Medel, Francisco Silva y José Rojas; Mauricio Isla, Marcelo Díaz, Carlos Carmona y Eugenio Mena; Jorge Valdivia, Esteban Paredes y Fabián Orellana.
23.30 Manager Jorge Sampoli said that “we have a plan to see all 23 players during the friendly matches so the team that played against Egypt won’t be repeated against Northern Ireland”
23.25 When it comes to Chile, it wouldn’t be strange to see manager Jorge Sampaoli testing different tactics on today’s encounter. Aside from a few players – Bravo, Medel, Alexis, Vidal and Isla – all the others can be replaced and it’s likely that we will see some of the backups performing on the pitch. They employed a 3-4-3 tactic against Egypt and they might used a different one tonight against the Northern Irish side.
23.20 Out of all the players in the European squad, goalkeeper Roy Carroll and midfielder Steven Davis appear to be the most known worldwide. Young defender Ryan McLaughlin had his first international cap against Uruguay and performed solidly, so he could turn out to be a building block in the near future for a team that desperately needs a player to build around.
23.15 The Northern Ireland side, on the other hand, doesn’t have a very strong lineup but they have to be encouraged by some of the performances they received in their recent loss against Uruguay. Manager Michael O’Neill had praise for his players and he surely feels they can continue down this road.
23.10 There are, however, some notable absences in the lineup. Fiorentina midfielder David Pizarro wasn’t called up and his teammate Matias Fernandez couldn’t recover from an injury and was forced to leave the side. Defender Marcos Gonzalez and midfielder Rodrigo Millar were the final two discards of a 30-man list that features talent and skill on both ends of the pitch.
23.05 Manager Jorge Sampaoli already announced the 23-man roster that will feature in the 2014 World Cup and there’s plenty of talent in a relatively young squad. Players like Alexis Sanchez, Mauricio Isla, Arturo Vidal and Claudio Bravo feature in some of the top teams in the world while others like Charles Aranguiz, Miiko Albornoz and Marcelo Diaz all figure to participate in their first World Cup.
23.03 Today’s game was quite an uncertainty but it has been confirmed that the game will be played. There was a torrential rain in the city last night but the pitch recovered quickly and it should be in good conditions for tonight’s encounter.
23.00 There’s plenty to know about this exciting match and here’s an amazing preview made by us here at VAVEL!
22.58 Here’s a video with the highlights and the goals of Chile’s 3-2 win over the African side. FC Barcelona striker Alexis Sanchez was simply magnificent, dishing out all three assists while Valencia striker Eduardo Vargas scored a brace.
22.55 Chile are coming off a victory on their own soil against Egypt in a game where there was plenty of criticism despite the 3-2 win. Chile received two goals in the first 15 minutes and their defensive line looked shaky all game long. However, ‘La Roja’ rallied back, won 3-2 and showed that they can be a deadly team if they are given enough space on the attack.
22.50 Here’s a video with all the highlights of the Uruguay - Northern Ireland match.
22.48 The Northern Irish side is coming off an encouraging result against another South American rival. They lost 1-0 to Uruguay, but they received some notable performances all over the pitch against a much better side.
22.45 As for Northern Ireland, they didn’t fare very well on the European Qualifiers and won’t be taking part of the upcoming 2014 World Cup, a tournament they haven’t qualified since the 1986 edition. They were drawn in Group F with the likes of Russia, Portugal and Israel and ended in a disappointing fifth place only ahead of Luxembourg with seven points in 10 matches.
22.40 However, the World Cup draw wasn’t very gentile with Chile. They were drawn with a tough opposition in the form of Australia – one of the top AFC teams – together with Spain and Holland. It’s certainly a tough Group but Chile has plenty of talent on their roster to advance on to the knockout stage.
22.35 Chile clinched their World Cup berth after finishing third in the CONMEBOL qualifiers behind Argentina and Colombia and ahead of Ecuador and Uruguay. Jorge Sampaoli started coaching the team in March 2013 and the team has seen a notable rise in their performances since his arrival.
22.30 Good night and welcome to the live commentary of this 2014 World Cup friendly match Chile - Northern Ireland! We will be providing live updates and results of this exciting game that features a World Cup-bound team in Chile and another one who is looking towards the future in Northern Ireland in a thrilling friendly contest!