Bravo's heroics propel Chile past Portugal into Confederations Cup final
Chile is heading to the Confederations Cup final after defeating Portugal 3-0 on penalties after the two teams went 120 minutes without a goal in Kazan. Claudio Bravo played the hero, saving all three of Portugal's spot-kicks while the rest of Chile's players potted home their efforts with ease.
The Chilean shot-stopper lived up to his job title, denying Ricardo Quaresma, Joao Moutinho, and Nani from the spot, allowing Chile to advance off the back of penalties scored by Arturo Vidal, Charles Aranguiz, and Alexis Sanchez.
It was, in truth, a deserved result for Chile, who nearly found a winner in the last moments of the match when both Vidal and Martin Rodriguez hit the woodwork with back-to-back shots, which Rui Patricio watched bounce away in incredibly good fortune.
Chile can't believe that they missed this chance to advance to the final. Wow! St. Post! pic.twitter.com/ux8opBPAXO
— José Villacreses (@j_villacreses) June 28, 2017
Save for back-and-forth efforts around the hour mark where Patricio denied Eduardo Vargas a bicycle-kick goal and Bravo denied Ronaldo a quick-fire shot, the two netminders enjoyed a relatively quiet affair, as Chile's backline staved off each Portuguese attack before a shot could develop.
Juan Antonio Pizzi's men continue to enjoy the spoils of successful penalty shootouts, as it took a similar outcome against Argentina in the Copa America to secure a berth in the Confederations Cup. Chile will now contest the title against one of Mexico or Germany, who play the other semi-final decider on Thursday.