Vidal was once again inspirational for Chile, scoring a brace in their 3-3 draw, as he aims to take his side to their first-ever Copa America title. PHOTO: AFP
SANTIAGO: The Copa America laid on a feast of attacking football on Monday as Mexico played out a pulsating 3-3 draw against hosts Chile while Bolivia downed Ecuador in a five-goal thriller.
A dramatic day of action in Group A saw Bolivia secure their first win in the tournament in 18 years with a 3-2 victory over Ecuador in Valparaiso before an epic battle between Chile and Mexico in Santiago.
Chile, 2-0 winners over Ecuador in their opening game, looked to have booked their place in the quarter-finals after two goals from Juventus star Arturo Vidal helped them into a 3-2 lead.
But a 66th-minute equaliser from Vicente Vuoso, his second of the match, earned a share of the points for Mexico, who are one of two teams from outside South America invited to take part in this year’s tournament.
La Roja now top Group A on goal difference as they prepare to meet Bolivia in their final first round match on Friday.
And man-of-the-match Vidal said the hosts would need to improve to be sure of winning the group. “There are several things we need to improve if we want to beat Bolivia, but the important thing is we improved on our performance from the first match today,” said Vidal. “It’s nice to be scoring goals for the team, but the most important thing is our objective to be champions.”
Bolivia win first away match in 20 years
Bolivia, who have a formidable record when playing at home in the thin air of La Paz, secured their first victory on foreign soil in a competitive match in 20 years when they beat Ecuador.
The win was also Bolivia’s first in the Copa America since 1997, and means they are now firmly in contention to qualify for the second round.
Bolivia assured themselves of victory in the opening 45 minutes, racing into a 3-0 lead and then held on to win 3-2.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 17th, 2015.
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