Copa America 2015
Group A – Match 1 (June 11, 2015)
Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile
Chile started their Copa America campaign with a victory over Ecuador at the Estadio Nacional. Arturo Vidal scored from the penalty spot, Eduardo Vargas nicked in a late second goal for the hosts, while Mati Fernandez was sent off during stoppage time. Enner Valencia and Jefferson Montero could not help Ecuador salvage a point from this fixture, carrying over poor form, from their respective club seasons.
Alexis Sanchez almost put Chile ahead in the 2nd minute, but his shot went wide. On the other end of the pitch, Fidel Martinez of Ecuador tried a left-footed shot on goal. Later on, Martinez was booked by match referee Néstor Pitana. Mauricio Isla came close to scoring for La Roja while combining skillfully with Alexis Sanchez after Arturo Vidal won them a free-kick. Eduardo Vargas came on for Jean Beausejour right before half-time, which ended nil-nil.
Enner Valencia came close to opening the score for Ecuador early in the 2nd half, from a pass by Jefferson Montero. However the match only started to unfold itself after the hour-mark, when Arturo Vidal was bought down by Miller Bolaños inside the penalty box. Vidal stepped up to take the spot-kick, and slotted the ball into the top-right corner. Mati Fernandez came on for Jorge Valdívia right after, and was booked within 5 minutes of his introduction. Chile went on to dominate the match after getting their first goal. Ecuador chose to sit back and defend, trying to hit them on the counter, which did not help them find the equaliser. Eduardo Vargas extended Chile’s lead with a late goal, curling it in behind Alexander Domínguez, after receiving a sweet through ball from Alexis Sanchez. Mati Fernandez was shown a second yellow card during stoppage time, the only sour note in a match which highlighted Chile’s strengths. They dominated the match from beginning to end.
Next Match: Mexico vs Bolivia (live at Sony Kix from 04:45 IST)