Written by Alexander Abodos at SI.com
Claudio Bravo made three consecutive saves in a shootout to lead Chile to the Confederations Cup final with a triumph over Portugal following a 0-0 draw through 120 minutes in their semifinal in Russia on Wednesday.
The goalkeeper, recently maligned in the soccer world after a subpar season with Manchester City, kept Portugal off the board, while his teammates were perfect in penalties, after misfiring on numerous other occasions. The win marks the third straight major international competition in which Chile has progressed to the final, following 2015’s Copa America and 2016’s Copa America Centenario.
Bravo the hero
Chile has won the last two Copa Americas on penalty kicks, which might expect to have given goalkeeper Claudio Bravo a leg up on the competition as extra time gave way to efforts from the spot. But few would have expected what happened on Wednesday. Portugal took three penalty kicks against Bravo on Wednesday, and Bravo saved every single one of them.
Ricardo Quaresma and Joao Moutinho’s efforts to start off proceedings were shockingly similar, with both stutter-stepping on approach to the ball before Bravo reacted to his right to save both efforts. The pressure was on Nani for Portugal’s third penalty, and though he also stutter-stepped, he delivered a tame effort at a good height for Bravo to stop going in the opposite direction.
Bravo! 👏🏼👏🏼
His third penalty save puts Chile in the #ConfedCup final. @Powerade #PORCHI #ConfedCup https://t.co/BuctJkAByQ
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 28, 2017
Bravo’s save meant that Cristiano Ronaldo, stashed until later in Portugal’s PK order, didn’t even get to have a say in the outcome. Given how he didn’t get a chance to kick from the spot vs. Spain in Euro 2012, either, expect that to draw ire from corners of the soccer world. Portugal’s penalty taking deserves plenty of ire, too.
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