Chile eyes historic win against Peru in Copa America semi-final

Chile eyes historic win against Peru in Copa America semi-final

PORTO ALEGRE – Reigning Copa America champions Chile are preparing to make history in their semi-final with Peru on Wednesday.

“We want to leave our legacy as triple champions, that’s our dream,” said Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal.

“We want to play our best match of the Copa against Peru. It would be historic for us to get to the final.”

La Roja are striving towards a third successive Copa title after defeating Colombia 5-4 on penalties following a goalless draw over 90 minutes in the quarter-finals.

Peru mirrored the champions with a 5-4 victory on penalties against Uruguay. Both teams failed to score, forcing the contest into a shootout.

The 2015 and 2016 champions are aiming for a third continental title in a row, a feat only achieved once before by Argentina in successive years from 1945-47.

The two sides meet in Porto Alegre on 4 July (01:30 BST) for a chance to play either Argentina or hosts Brazil in the final. Today, host Brazil will play Lionel Messi’s Argentina at Mineirão Stadium in Belo Horizonte.

Chile faced Peru in the 2015 semi-finals on home soil when they won 2-1 before beating Argentina on penalties in the final for their first ever continental success.