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Copa America 2019: Friday Group Results, Latest Tables and Schedule
June 22, 2019
A physical match closed the first two rounds of 2019 Copa America group stage play Friday as Chile beat Ecuador 2-1 at the Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Brazil.
Chile now leads Group C with six points after having beaten Japan 4-0. Ecuador is last with zero points, with its other match resulting in a 4-0 defeat to Uruguay.
You can take a look at a recap below in addition to Saturday's Copa America schedule and the latest tables.
Friday's Result
Chile 2, Ecuador 1
Saturday Schedule
Bolivia vs. Venezuela, 3 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
Peru vs. Brazil, 3 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
Full schedule available at the tournament's official site
Updated Tables
Group A
Brazil: 4 pts, +3 GD
Peru: 4 pts, +2 GD
Venezuela: 2 pts, 0 GD
Bolivia: 0 pts, -5 GD
Group B
Colombia: 6 pts, +3 GD
Paraguay: 2 pts, 0 GD
Qatar: 1 pt, -1 GD
Argentina: 1 pt, -2 GD
Group C
Chile: 6 pts, +5 GD
Uruguay: 4 pts, +4 GD
Japan: 1 pt, -4 GD
Ecuador: 0 pts, -5 GD
Chile 2, Ecuador 1
Jose Pedro Fuenzalida and Alexis Sanchez both scored goals as Chile stayed undefeated in Copa America play with a 2-1 victory.
Enner Valencia scored Ecuador's lone goal on a penalty shot in the 26th minute.
Fuenzalida opened the scoring following a Chilean corner kick in the eighth minute. Ecuador failed to clear, and the ball ricocheted to Fuenzalida, who fired a rocket inside the left goalpost for the 1-0 edge.
Richard Martin of Reuters and the Telegraph pointed to Chile's dominance in the early going:
Undeterred, Ecuador battled back and earned a penalty shot, which Valencia put home for the equalizer.
Soccer journalist Jonas Giaever set the scene:
The two sides went into halftime tied at one, but Sanchez quickly changed that in the 51st minute with the match's final score.
Charles Aranguiz lofted a beautiful ball from the intersection of the goal line and 18-yard box to Sanchez, who shot a volley past goaltender Alexander Dominguez.
As B/R Football noted, Sanchez has scored a goal in each of Chile's Copa America matches:
That closed the scoring, but the match was characterized by intense physical play.
The two teams combined for 44 fouls (22 apiece) and 10 cards (one red, nine yellow). Seven of those cards occurred from the 52nd minute onward.
The first-half foul total of 26 set a benchmark not seen in the last three Copa Americas, per Opta Sports:
Regardless, Chile is certainly happy to come away with a victory and advance to the knockout stage. One more group match with Uruguay looms on Monday before Chile's next challenge begins.
Ecuador has been eliminated from finishing in the top two of Group C. The side can sneak into the knockout stage with a win over Japan and some help as one of the two best third-place teams in the tournament field. Venezuela (two points) and Qatar (one point) currently hold those spots.