Right after Jorge Sampaoli left the Chilean national team, there wasn't a whole lot of hope that they were going to be able to get back at the top of any competition like they did last year in the 2015 Copa America. But the players are the ones who responded with the same high level of competition we all know they can give, having a new manager didn't matter to them. All that mattered was their thirst for success and they started proving it since the last Group stage game until now.
At the very start, they had trouble as they lost to Argentina in a very competitive first match. But after that defeat they started to get the victories and getting to become more familiar amongst each other, the peak of their game came against Mexico after they defeated them with a staggering 7-0. On the semifinal, they proved once again, that any team in the world should feel threatened by them as it took them just 10 minutes to defeat Colombia.
After the victory against Jose Pekerman's side, manager Pizzi told the press that: "This is a group of winners. The main virtue for these players is they are winners. Before a game or a tournament, they are convinced they are going to win. This conviction allows them to play how they play and have the confidence they have in games. To be a winner does not mean you win every game, because that is impossible, and you're always going to lose a few games. To be a winner is to believe you are going to win every game, and that's what my players have."
Pizzi also hailed the goalkeeper and analyzed the final against Argentina: "The storm was very uncomfortable, especially after being stuck in the locker room for almost three hours. But we kept concentration, and Bravo made two or three very important stops for us. We come into this game in good form, strong. But they will be different, stronger as well. It is tough. But we are winners."
Photo credit: Seleccion Chilena