A Narrative That Reflects the Feelings of a Nation

A narrative can express the entire sentiment of a nation in a soccer match. The narrative excites us, saddens us, fills us with enthusiasm, and can even make us cry. That's what millions of Argentinians must have felt when the commentator from TyC Sports narrated the penalty shootout between the Argentinian national team and the Chilean national team in the final of the Copa America Centenario.

The journalist shouted when Sergio Romero saved Arturo Vidal's penalty and, in contrast, remained silent when Lionel Messi sent his shot into the "clouds" from the twelve-yard spot. The penalties continued, the commentator celebrated the Argentinian goals and only mentioned the Chilean ones until Claudio Bravo saved Lucas Biblia's shot and everything came crashing down.

As Francisco Silva prepared to take his penalty, the commentator said "give me life, give me air Romero". Everything depended on the goalkeeper, one more round hinged on an appearance from 'Chiquito,' but the story didn't unfold that way. Silva scored to the right of the goalkeeper, and the commentator concluded with "Chile, champion of America" as he watched the rest of the footage.

Chile became the two-time champion of the Copa America after defeating Argentina (4-2) in penalties, in a match where Lionel Messi stated that it was his last game with the national team.