Arturo Vidal (#8) (Photo : Reuters)
Chile began its quest for the country's first-ever Copa America title on Thursday with a 2-0 win over Ecuador at the Estadio Nacional in Santiago.
Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal scored the first goal of the match in the 67th minute via a penalty kick that found the top corner of the net. Ecuador goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez had a good guess of where the ball was going, but Vidal's stroke would not be denied.
Substitute forward Eduardo Vargas right-footed the second goal from an assist by forward Alexis Sanchez in the closing minutes of the match to complete the final score for La Roja via BBC Sports.
Chile has never captured the Copa America championship in all of its 99-year history and they are seriously looking to go for it this year. As per Bleacher Report, the hosts had been runner-ups four times before with the most recent in 1987 against Uruguay.
Jorge Sampaoli's men controlled the flow of the whole match as Vidal and the highly experienced Arsenal player Sanchez worked in the midfield. Precise and confident passes kept the ball on the host's side as they went through the whole match with a business-like outlook.
The only time Ecuador threatened Chile and Barça goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was during the 82nd minute of the match. West Ham striker Enner Valencia nearly leveled the count by executing a soft header off a rebound that hit the top of the goal post, stretching out Bravo.
Then two minutes later, Napoli's Vargas sent in the second one to crumple Gustavo Quinteros' Amarillos until full time.
Chile's next game will be against Mexico on Monday, June 15 while Ecuador will take on Bolivia on the same day.
