Under the tactical vision of Jorge Sampaoli, Chile embraced a high-press, frenetic 3-4-3 system inspired by Marcelo Bielsa, earning widespread praise for their relentless intensity and vertical attacking style. They stormed through World Cup qualifying with nine wins out of fourteen games, registering notable victories such as a 2–0 triumph over England at Wembley and a dominant 4–0 friendly win against Costa Rica. At the 2014 World Cup, Chile made history by dumping defending champions Spain out in the group stage with a memorable 2–0 victory and pushed Brazil to the edge in a dramatic Round of 16 match that ended in a narrow penalty shootout loss. Alexis Sánchez and Eduardo Vargas spearheaded a dynamic forward line, while seasoned figures like Arturo Vidal and Gary Medel solidified midfield and defense. Vargas scored in six consecutive internationals in 2013—breaking a record previously shared by legends Marcelo Salas and Carlos Caszely—and Chile's match against Germany in March 2014 was widely praised as one of the standout performances of that era, even inspiring coach Joachim Löw to call them “incredibly difficult” to play against.