Fernando Batista regretted Venezuela’s setback against Chile in Santiago / Photo: EFE
The Venezuelan coach, Fernando Batista, regretted not having been able to maintain the advantage he had in a soccer match in which “they needed the victory” until falling 4-2 against Chile on the twelfth day of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. .
“We were up twice on the scoreboard and it is bitter, as I said we needed that victory to stay calm and continue in the competition. Now we have to improve for next year,” said Argentine Batista during a press conference.
“It was a game in which we were not intelligent when we were ahead. With the first goal we got a little disorganized.”
A feasible need
Batista argued that La Vinotinto needed “to have more play because when we had it we created danger,” but that the goal at the beginning of the second half that made it 4-2 made it complicated for them.
“The goal two minutes into the game, when Chile made it 4-2, was a hard blow and we began to take wrong paths, they began to handle the ball and close the paths to redirect the tie,” he analyzed.
Venezuela occupies eighth place in the tie with 12 points, one away from seventh place, which gives the right to play a play-off, and which includes Bolivia (13).
Homeland possibilities
“Mathematically we still have many possibilities, but when we have to play as a visitor and we have the score up we cannot have the peace of mind to handle it,” he reflected.
Venezuela is fighting to achieve its first World Cup qualification and, in that sense, Batista mentioned the team’s need to know how to face complicated duels.
“With these games that we have to win, we knew that the opponent was going to play that way and we have to be strong in the head when we have these situations. We should not give the rival those options, it is the anger we have,” he expressed.
Santiago / EFE
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