Uruguay may have been better than Chile in the first half, but they didn't have anything to show for it. They finally did go ahead with a 53rd minute goal, but from then on it was all Chile. The Chileans, backed by a large and vocal group of supporters who made the trip across the border to Argentina, got an equalizer in the 64th minute and spent the rest of the match pressuring Uruguay. Only some tremendous goalkeeping by Fernando Muslera kept Chile from getting the winner as he almost single-handedly got a point for Uruguay in a 1-1 draw.
Copa America 2011: Uruguay Vs. Chile: Uruguay And Chile Settle For 1-1 Draw
The first half wasn’t a boring first half, but it didn’t have any goals and many observers just lumped it in with the many drawn, boring matches in the tournament. Chile hit the crossbar once and Uruguay had several opportunities to score, but they just missed the frame.
The open play of the first half translated over to the second half and finally resulted in a goal thanks to Alvaro Pereira. With the Chile defense scrambling, Pereira found himself a nice spot right in the middle of the box where he remained unmarked. A low cross from the left found him and he had no trouble turning to finish for the match's opening goal.
Any quality that Uruguay was playing with to that point went out the window though. Chile grabbed a hold of the match and got their equalizer before long. Jean Beausejour made a good run down the left and started taking the ball to the end line before playing a good pass to Alexis Sanchez, who found space in the box. Sanchez took a touch to settle before unleashing a hard shot across to the back post that Muslera had no chance of saving. The Chilean supporters erupted and the match was on level terms again.
Chile didn’t stop with their goal though. Luis Jimenez, who was bright all match, looked like he would put Chile in front when he got a free header just three yards from goal, but Muslera came sprinting across to make a tremendous diving save. Muslera also came out to get a good cross out of danger and handled a well-struck shot from distance. Three dangerous free kicks late put a scare into the Uruguayans, but Muslera handled one and the other two just missed the frame as Uruguay just barely held on for the draw.
The draw puts Chile on top of Group C with four points and just one match left to play in the group, a July 12 contest against Peri in Mendoza. Uruguay will play their final group stage match against Mexico in La Plata, also on July 12.
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