Confederations Cup: Germany, Chile reach semifinals
SOCHI, RUSSIA— World champion Germany reached the Confederations Cup semifinals on Sunday with a 3-1 victory against a Cameroon side reduced to 10 men after further confusion with experimental video replays.
Germany was leading through Kerem Demirbay’s 48th-minute strike when a case of mistaken identity halfway through the second half that replays were meant to eradicate left the African champions bemused and irritated.
Sebastien Siani was dismissed for a foul challenge on Emre Can after referee Wilmar Roldan inspected a pitch-side monitor.
It took furious protests from the Cameroon players, including Siani sarcastically applauding Roldan, for the referee to re-check the monitor and learn he had sent off the wrong player. Siani was called back on and Ernest Mabouka was correctly sent off.
“The referee did not give any explanation,” Cameroon coach Hugo Broos said through a translator. “It’s a foul, fair enough but both players had their legs high up to reach the ball. I don’t understand why only my player received a red card.”
Germany extended its lead two minutes after the red card courtesy of a diving header from Timo Werner. There were flickers of a comeback by Cameroon when Vincent Aboubakar’s flicked header slipped through Marc-Andre Ter Stegen’s raised hands. But Werner netted again in the 81st minute to secure a 100th victory for Joachim Loew in his 150th match in charge of Germany.
By securing top spot in Group B of the World Cup warm-up tournament, the inexperienced Germany squad playing without many of its 2014 World Cup winners will now stay in the Black Sea resort of Sochi and play Mexico on Thursday.
The semifinal on Wednesday sees Portugal play Chile, which finished second in Group B after drawing 1-1 with Australia in Sunday’s other game.
The Germans will have to display greater urgency against Mexico than they did in the first half against Cameroon. Loew’s side was wasteful, with wing back Joshua Kimmich sending a diving header wide, and largely restricted to attacking down the flanks.
Chile 1, Australia 1
Martin Rodriguez salvaged a draw Sunday for Chile against a tenacious Australian side in Moscow.
The Australians took the lead in the 42nd minute when James Troisi delicately chipped the ball in from a pass from Robbie Kruse, and then went in pursuit of a second goal that could have seen them qualify at Chile’s expense.
Roared on by thousands of travelling fans, Chile hit back in the 67th when Eduardo Vargas flicked the ball on for substitute Rodriguez to hit it past goalkeeper Maty Ryan.
Chile were held back by wasteful finishing and Ryan’s solid performance in the Australian goal.
Ryan made two big saves in the eighth minute, first denying Arturo Vidal’s fierce shot, then scooping up Eduardo Vargas’s weak effort on the rebound.
Alexis Sanchez appealed for a penalty in the 26th when he went down in the penalty area following Mark Milligan’s desperate lunge, but the video review system said no foul.