Chile beat Brazil in opening 2018 World Cup qualifier

Eduardo Vargas struck in the 72nd minute with a first-time volley that slipped through the hands of Brazil goalkeeper Jefferson

October 09, 2015 05:35 pm | Updated 05:35 pm IST - Santiago

Eduardo Vargas and Alexis Sanchez scored second-half goals as Chile overcame Brazil 2-0 in their opening 2018 World Cup qualifier.

Vargas struck in the 72nd minute with a first-time volley that slipped through the hands of goalkeeper Jefferson after Mauricio Isla’s free-kick on Thursday, reported Xinhua.

Sanchez then put the result beyond doubt at the Estadio Nacional stadium by playing a one-two with Arturo Vidal and drawing Jefferson off his line before firing into an unguarded net.

“It’s an important step because Brazil have a great record against us in World Cup qualifiers,” Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli said.

“On a personal level it’s a great feeling because I had never beaten Brazil before tonight. To beat a five-time World Cup champion is a big result for Chile.”

In Buenos Aires, Frickson Erazo and Felipe Caicedo were on target as Ecuador surprised Argentina with a 2-0 win at the Monumental stadium.

In a hapless night for the hosts, Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero was carried off on a stretcher in the 24th minute with an apparent hamstring injury.

In other South American zone qualifiers on Thursday, Uruguay won 2-0 away to Bolivia, Colombia beat Peru 2-0 at home and hosts Venezuela lost 1-0 to Paraguay.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.