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Alexis Sanchez: Opened the scoring for Chile
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Two early strikes and one very late effort saw Chile to a
3-1 victory over Australia in their opening Group B encounter.
Talisman Alexis Sanchez, influential playmaker Jorge
Valdivia and lively winger Jean Beausejour did the damage for a side considered
by many to be dark horses to go all the way in Brazil.
Tim Cahill did pull one back for the Socceroos, offering
their young side hope, but they now have it all to do in a group which also
includes reigning world champions Spain and the side that hammered them 5-1 in
the group’s other fixture on Friday - Holland.
It took just 12 minutes for Chile to break the deadlock in
Cuiaba, with confusion in the Australian penalty area seeing them fail to clear
their lines and present Sanchez with an opportunity to prod past Matthew Ryan
from close range.
A second arrived just two minutes later, with Sanchez
squaring for an unmarked Valdivia to pick his spot from just inside the box.
Chile were in complete control at that stage, but a
trademark back post header on 35 minutes from Cahill – his country’s all-time
leading goalscorer – offered Australia a lifeline and opened the game up as a
contest.
The action flowed from end-to-end after the interval, with
Cahill, Mark Bresciano and Eduardo Vargas all going close.
It was, however, in the second minute of stoppage-time that
the result was finally put beyond doubt, with Wigan Athletic winger Beausejour
rifling low into the bottom corner from 20 yards out.
Spain's surprise hammering earlier in the day potentially
opened up a route through the group for the highly rated Chileans, and they
began as if it was all too easy.
Australia, by contrast, were ragged and cut open with
regularity in the early stages. Their goal was breached for the first time in
the 12th minute.
Challenges were few and far between as Sanchez found Charles
Aranguiz and he was allowed to cross for Eduardo Vargas.
Vargas failed to make clean contact with his header but
Australia failed to clear and Sanchez calmly picked his spot and lashed home
from six yards.
Chile doubled their lead less than two minutes later as they
powerfully swept forward once again.
Sanchez brilliantly turned Mile Jedinak and raced into space
as Vargas drew the defence with a well-timed run.
He picked out Valdivia on the edge of the box and the
finish, into the roof of the net, was clinical.
The game seemed beyond Australia at that early stage and
Chile looked likely to increase their lead as they maintained their tempo for
much of the opening half-hour.
But Australia gradually began to settle and Cahill dragged
them back into the game.
Chile captain and goalkeeper Claudio Bravo invited pressure
with a poor clearance. His defence did appear to repel any threat but Ivan
Franjic won the ball back for Australia, exchanged passes with Mathew Leckie
and whipped in a dangerous cross into the area.
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| Jean Beausejour: Wrapped up the win late on |
Former Everton star Cahill timed his leap perfectly to plant
a firm header past Bravo.
The game then opened up considerably.
Mauricio Isla was released by a fine pass from Vidal but was
denied by a superb challenge from Jason Davidson.
Early in the second half Cahill headed past Bravo once
again, from a Leckie, cross only to be frustrated by an offside flag.
Bravo produced a brilliant save to keep out a powerful
first-time shot from Mark Bresciano from a Davidson cross.
Play switched quickly to the other end where Alex Wilkinson
cleared off the line after Vargas dinked the ball over Maty Ryan from another
defence-splitting Sanchez pass.
Bresciano continued to get forward from midfield in search
of an equaliser and fired wide. Cahill's presence in advanced positions also
gave Chile continuing problems.
Cahill appealed for a penalty after going down in a
challenge from Gonzalo Jara with two minutes remaining but nothing was given.
The task proved beyond the Socceroos and substitute
Beausejour wrapped up the scoring after Ryan saved from Mauricio Pinilla.
Credit: sky sport
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