Chile hit rock bottom in El Alto.

As contradictory as throughout his management, Ricardo Gareca stated in his last press conference that “he always felt the respect of the Chilean people.” At least it seems strange if he had said he wouldn’t go to stadiums or have coffee out of fear of causing incidents.

His cycle ended sadly and predictably. His final roster was odd: he left out Pulgar, Fernando Zampedri, and Ben Brereton, while insisting on Arturo Vidal, Esteban Pávez, and Lucas Assadi—three players going through very tough moments. Additionally, he called up Rodrigo Ureña, a 32-year-old debutant playing in Peru, and two full-backs with little international experience.

Wrong in everything—including his statements—Gareca experienced one of the most dramatic falls in public and media support. He arrived acclaimed and vital, but left despised and physically exhausted, attempting to make historic gestures to compensate for his failure. The leaders released their support early, which was an insurmountable barrier to his stability.

Last night, at nearly 4,200 meters in El Alto de La Paz, he not only had to digest the defeat by two to zero but also the apathy of his players. He said goodbye in a silent locker room and initially did not want to make statements. He later changed his mind under pressure, leading to a lackluster and unemotional farewell.

Pablo Milad, the president of the Federation, wanted to shift responsibilities, assuring that he will appoint a technical manager—a position that has been vacant for a while—to oversee the tough replacement for the matches against Brazil and Uruguay.

Alexis Sánchez put the final nail in the coffin for the golden generation, stating that he was the only survivor. He declared that in 20 years, he had never experienced anything like it, forgetting that this is his third consecutive elimination. Perhaps he meant that he had never faced a shame of this magnitude: last in South America and terminally lost.