The hosts beat Mexico in this year’s Homeless World Cup in Santiago, the street soccer-style tournament ran from October 19 through to the final on October 26.
By Lynn McAdam
Chile won 4-3 in an incredibly tense match which saw both teams being given blue cards (sent off for two minutes). Denise Silva, Chile Women’s Captain, fired the ball low into the net for the championship-winning goal. The hosts consistently played excellent football throughout the entire tournament and fully deserved the trophy.
England and Wales both bowed out in the quarter-finals, Team England losing 12-1 to Mexico. At 70 seconds into play, the Mexicans made a melodic move to the goal, dancing the ball over the line. In complete control, Mexico flourished as a unit, playing with passion and pizazz, showcasing their skills as they scored a total of 7 goals in the first half.
Undeterred by the score, Team England emerged defiant and dedicated, which was rewarded with the first goal of the second half. Hitchcock performed a thriller of a move and scored, however this would not be enough to thwart the Mexican efforts, and the game saw another 5 goals come from the Latin Americans, who went on to defeat Hungary in the semi-finals.
The Welsh team lost out to Chile and in a gesture of respect performed their own rendition of the chant of the tournament “Chi Chi Chi Le Le Le” in the searing heat before the match. The hosts didn’t need to be encouraged any further and they opened what would become a feast of goals.
The Chileans would continue to demonstrate power and unity as they dominated with a goal a minute for the first half. The Welsh keeper made an impressive number of world-class saves but the fierce Chileans continued to dominate their opponents’ side of the pitch and the first half ended 7-0.
For the second half, Chile picked up the pace and the local stars smashed in another 6 goals, ending the match 13-0. The Chileans played with the South American passion we have grown to love in this tournament and moved onto the last four where they faced Brazil.
Street Soccer organisations currently operate in 74 nations across the world with an accumulative reach of 100,000 each year. The Homeless World Cup is the final stage of the year-long programmes offering an alternative to a life of isolation, gangs, addictions and homelessness.
President and Co-founder of the Homeless World Cup, Mel Young explains, “The Homeless World Cup is a culmination of all that hard work and we have many success stories of our players’ progression routes out of poverty and their journey to re-join society.
“With more than 80% of players returning to full-time accommodation, education and employment after taking part in the Homeless World Cup, they are literally transformed by the experience of representing their nation.”
The Homeless World Cup 2015 will take place in Amsterdam in September.
Pictured (from top) – Chile’s captain lifts the trophy, England and Mexico teams, Chile attack the Welsh goal.
SHE KICKS – the online community for women’s football
