Diego Sánchez: 'We had to suffer to reach the final'

Goalkeeper Diego Sánchez once again became the key figure for Coquimbo Unido, saving three penalties in a dramatic shootout victory over Unión La Calera. After losing the match 0-1, Coquimbo secured their place in the Copa de La Liga final by winning the penalty shootout 5-4. Sánchez, who also stepped up to convert the fifth penalty for his team, admitted that the team's performance during the match was not up to par.

"We didn't expect it to end like this. The truth is, there are very strange feelings because it wasn't the performance we expected from ourselves. But well, we had to suffer. So, I'm happy, happy because we made it to the final," Sánchez stated. The goalkeeper, nicknamed "El Mono," expressed his comfort with penalty shootouts, calling them an "instance that I love." He added that with so many shooters, the final penalty was more intuition than study.

When asked if the team's dip in performance during the second half was due to a demanding season with both local and international competitions, Sánchez dismissed the idea. "No. There are no excuses because we have everything for a good recovery. We train well, there are few injuries. These are things that happen in a match. Perhaps we should have managed the first half better. We had chances we didn't convert, and that complicates things a bit. I think we needed to be more precise in the final touch," he explained.

Sánchez also noted a change in his approach for the shootout, opting to wear gloves, unlike in the Supercopa definition. "Yes. Surprises happen when there are more like that time when it was a final. Semifinals are not," he said. Coquimbo Unido will now face their opponent in the Copa de La Liga final next Saturday, July 18, at the Estadio "Elías Figueroa Brander" in Valparaíso. The winner of that match will qualify for the 2027 Copa Libertadores as Chile 3.