Chile is in the semifinals of the Copa America after defeating former defending Champion Uruguay 1-0 in the first quarterfinal of the week.

The game was a tense affair that followed a rather predictable narrative. Chile dominated possession while Uruguay sought out a means of winning on the counter. However, the victory ultimately hinged on another unforeseen factor that no tactics could have anticipated. Here are the major takeaways from the match.

Edinson Cavani Flops in Copa America

The Paris Saint-Germain star was expected to assume the role of superstar with the absence of strike partner Luis Suarez. Instead, he went on to embarrass himself in a number of ways.

Cavani had a grand total of nine shots in four games and only one of them actually made it to goal. It is safe to say the lack of goal production on his part was no shocker. He finished the final game of the tournament without a single attempt at goal.

He was rarely involved in any of the matches, managing a grand total of 30 touches just once in four games, thus emphasizing how peripheral he was to Uruguay instead of taking on a central role.

However, his most embarrassing moments came against Chile when he essentially cost his team with two poor yellow cards that destroyed Uruguay's defensive tactics and gave Chile the opening it needed to win. His ejection for a tap to Jara's face was unfair to be sure, but he had to keep his discipline in check for the sake of his team. Arguing with the referee before getting the first yellow however was even more embarrassing for the star. 

Chile Dominates Possession But Looks Lost for Penetration

Chile played its game, dominating possession for 80 percent of the game. Chile had 633 passes while Uruguay only had 160. Chile had a pass accuracy of 88 percent while Uruguay only connected on 51 percent of its pass attempts. Chile had 15 shots to Uruguay's six. The team also had more dribbles and more corners. From almost every perspective, Chile was the better team.

Yet the team could not manage to find the final pass to unlock an organized Uruguayan defense. It was a variation on a theme that has been drummed for years now and even Chile has fallen victim to it -- possession fails against an organized team that "parks the bus."

Chile tried to play with greater speed and intensity but faltered as some of its key players disappointed.

Alexis Sanchez, who managed five attempts, could not get anything going on target and remained a rather peripheral player for his nation in this tournament.

It might have been Jorge Sampaoli playing things safe in a 4-3-1-2 formation instead of the high risk, high reward 3-4-3 he has often used, but there were certainly some concerns for a Chilean side that to this point had a freedom in attack.

Peru and Bolivia were certainly watching and whichever side gets the matchup next will surely be trying a similar strategy.

Arturo Vidal Stars Again

His controversial week did not seem to bother him as Vidal continued to look like the best player in this tournament. He put up five shots and all of them were on target. He had one key pass, connected on 91 percent of his passes, won three aerial battles and had 92 touches. The only player to have more involvement in the game was Mauricio Isla and his 94 touches. Isla was also the man to score the winner.

That however did not take away from Vidal's involvement and continued importance to this team. With him running the show, Chile looks assured even if there was a great deal of trouble in finishing.

Uruguay Lacks Any Offense

Cavani was disastrous, but the reality is that Uruguay simply lacked any bite on the offense. This problem has plagued the team the entire tournament and it is becoming clear that Uruguay is a one-man team. Without Luis Suarez there is simply little to compensate. A team that cannot put 100 passes together in a game (they had not even reached 50 at halftime) is a team that has little chance of making a deep run.

That there was an ultimate breakdown in structure after Cavani's red is no surprise. That another red would come shortly after is simply the sign of an unstable team lacking strong and firm leadership.