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Chile Beat England 2-1 in Toulon Tournament; Joe Willock Scores
June 7, 2019
England lost 2-1 to Chile in their final group-stage match at the 2019 Toulon Tournament on Friday at Stade Parsemain after the Three Lions squandered a lead in the final minutes.
Arsenal's Joe Willock converted from a corner just before half-time, but a goal from Ignacio Jara in the 87th minute and an own goal from Marc Guehi inside the final five minutes turned the match on its head.
Reece James left the pitch on a stretcher in the first half.
The defending champions had lost their first two matches, against Japan and Portugal, and were assured of a group-stage exit as a result. The play-off matches for places nine-12 will take place on Tuesday.
Chile came into this contest with an outside chance of qualifying for the next round, but for that, they needed to beat England by at least five goals and hope the results in the other groups went their way.
As a result, the South Americans started with far more intensity, and the first chance fell their way, as Ivan Morales fired wide from a promising position.
Morales and Jimmy Martinez were the main danger men for Chile, and Tomas Alarcon also tried his luck with a shot.
England had few answers for the South American pressure, but Marcus Tavernier did break free to angle a shot wide.
Their bid to grab their first win of the tournament became much harder when James left the pitch with an injury.
The 19-year-old Chelsea full-back required oxygen and a stretcher:
The pace of the match dropped after the lengthy delay, and Chile would find one more chance in the first half, with Alarcon missing from close range. The goal fell on the other side of the pitch, however, as the Chileans couldn't clear a corner, and Willock steered the ball home from close range.
England improved after the break, with Eddie Nketiah putting himself in dangerous positions on multiple occasions and Eberechi Eze going close as well.
The pace of the match was low at this point, however, as the Chileans realised they would not be overtaking Japan in the standings. Neither side had much to play for other than pride, and that was reflected in the level of play.
Morales had another good chance for a late equaliser, but it was Jara who came through after 87 minutes, thanks to a clever pass from the former.
And things got even worse for England, who gave away the draw in injury time, as a cross deflected off Guehi and into the net.
The result means England finish in last place in Group A.