Copa America 2019: 3 Reasons why Chile won against Japan
Chile kicked-off their Copa America title defence with a resounding 4-0 win over Asian giants Japan in a crucial group C match. The win puts Chile on top of their group, level on stats with Uruguay after both the sides scored 4 and conceded nil.
The defending champions started the match brightly but had to wait till the end of the first half to get their goal after the Japanese side kept them quiet. The deadlock was broken in the 41st minute as Eric Pulgar rose high to meet Charles Aranguiz corner to give a 1-0 lead going into the first half.
Eduardo Vargas then doubled the advanatage for the defending champions in the 54th minute. Alexis Sanchez then broke his 5-month goal drought to score a third of the match in the 82nd before setting up Eduardo Vargas for his second and Chile's 4th of the night in the very next minute.
Let's take a look at 3 reasons why Chile won their opening match.
#3 Japan fails to convert chances
The Japanese side came into the Copa America with a very young squad as they looked to provide first team experience to the side before playing the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The gulf in experience was quite evident in the first few minutes as Japan failed to get to grips with the situation.
The Chilean attack did not allow the Japanese to settle themselves as they kept their defence engaged. The Asian side failed to make use of the few chances they had in the first half. The first goal though disrupted their rhythm as Chile started to get the grip over the match.
The second goal from Chile saw the South Americans taking their foot off the gas as the Japanese side made inroads into the Chilean defence. The young Japanese though failed to muster a shot on target despite producing brilliant balls. The Asian side found themselves with the goal at their mercy on more than one occasion.
They were then made to rue their chances as Chile scored twice in the last 10 minutes of the match to secure a 4-0 victory.