Chile began its Copa America defence in emphatic fashion with a thumping 4-0 win over guest Japan on Monday with Manchester United misfit Alexis Sanchez scoring for the first time in five months. The 2015 and 2016 Copa champion took the lead late in the first half with a towering header from midfielder Erick Pulgar.
Journeyman striker Eduardo Vargas then continued his remarkable consistency for his country by scoring at a fourth consecutive major tournament and doubling Chile’s lead in the 54th minute with the help of a deflection.
Sanchez made it 3-0 with a diving header from close range in the 82nd minute, Chile’s all-time top scorer punching the air in delight after enduring a frustrating season with United compounded by a knee injury suffered in March.
A minute later Sanchez laid on a pass for Vargas to score again, a classy chip which saw him become Chile’s top scorer in the Copa America (12) and replace Marcelo Salas as the country’s second all-time leading scorer behind Sanchez. The win put Chile joint top of Group ‘C’ with Uruguay.
Vecino out of Copa
Uruguay’s influential midfielder Matias Vecino will miss the rest of the tournament due to a hamstring injury. He was injured during the Celeste’s 4-0 hammering of Ecuador.
The result :
Group C : Japan 0 lost to Chile 4 (Pulgar 41, Vargas 54, Sanchez 82).
Wednesday’s matches: Colombia vs Qatar (3 a.m., Thursday); Argentina vs Paraguay (6 a.m., Thursday) .
