Goals: Chile—Alexis 12' Valdivia 14' Beausejour 90'+; Australia—Tim Cahill 35'
Recap: It didn't take long for Chile to exert its will over the Group B minnows, Australia. After all of 12 minutes, La Roja were able to capture a 1-0 lead en route to a 3-1 victory.
A goalkeeping error from Maty Ryan, who mistakenly sauntered off his line, left an open net begging to be punished early in the first half. The determination of Chile's Charles Aranguiz created the chance for Alexis Sanchez. The Barcelona man left little doubts with his finish. A sweeping strike from Jorge Valdivia doubled Chile's advantage just two minutes later.
Australia's Tim Cahill was able to pull one back before halftime, but Jean Beausejour would seal the victory in stoppage time. Despite a valiant effort from the Socceroos, Chile would not be denied on the night.
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Key Moment: Australia had its chances to find a late equalizer in the second half, but the opportunities wouldn't have been there if not for Alex Wilkinson. The 29-year-old center-back made the tournament's first use of goal-line technology, clearing Eduardo Vargas' attempt of the line and maintaining a one-goal deficit.
Man of the Match: All credit is due to Alexis Sanchez's menacing performance for 90 minutes. In addition to his match-opening goal, the 25-year-old finished with six dribbles and an assist.
Lesson Learned: The Chile national team have every bit the potency to finish atop Group B and will provide Spain the stiffest challenge possible in Rio de Janeiro. The deceitful 2-0 lead was nearly squandered, but in the end, Chile's technical ability and composure on the ball make La Roja strong favorites to advance to the Round of 16 and beyond.
Up Next: Chile travel to Rio de Janeiro on June 18 with the possibility of eliminating the defending world champions, Spain. Australia attempts to avoid an elimination of its own in Porto Alegre against the Netherlands.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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