Posted by Substitute Nico Castillo poked home from close range in the 89th minute to seal a 1-0 victory for Chile against Mexico at Queretaro’s Estadio Corregidora. In their first meeting since the South Americans embarrassed Mexico in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Copa América with a historic 7-0 win, both sides fielded strong starting elevens. Mexico made a full eleven changes from their 3-2 win against Costa Rica four days earlier, bringing in all seven of the European-based players in the squad. Not to be outdone, Chile fielded national team stalwarts Gary Medel, Arturo Vidal and Alexis Sánchez from the start in an effort to forget their insipid showing in a 3-0 loss rivals to local rivals Peru in their previous match.
The home side created the better chances early on. Morelia man Diego Valdés gave the ball away cheaply in midfield in the first minute, allowing Hirving “Chucky” Lozano to run at the Chilean backline. After feinting to the right, Mexico’s most exciting attacking talent was marshaled well by Guillermo Maripán, who forced Lozano into an off balance shot from an acute angle, which flew harmlessly over.
El Tri came closer to testing visiting goalkeeper Brayan Cortés in the 9th minute, as Jesús Manuel “Tecatito” Corona bamboozled opposing left-back Alfonso Parot with a couple of stepovers before firing a right-footed drive into the side netting. Vidal then showed his quality on 15 minutes, creating the first clear-cut chance of the game for Chile. After Mauricio Isla had charged through the Mexican midfield, he found Vidal, who returned the ball to the Fenerbahce man with a precise left-footed through ball. However, Isla’s sliding attempt went just wide of Hugo González’s goal.
Mexico’s best chance of a full-blooded first half came in the 20th minute, as Lozano cut inside before finding Marco Fabian. The gold-medal winner beat last man Maripán on the dribble, only to see his curling effort brilliantly tipped around the post by the outstretched Cortés.
In the 38th minute, Alavés defender Maripán atoned for his mistake to begin the best move of the match for either side, playing a brilliant long-ball out of defense for Isla, who found Alexis in space in between Mexico’s midfield and defense. The former Arsenal star played an incisive first-time ball for winger Junior Fernandes, who settled the ball with his first touch before cracking a low, left-footed shot that forced a desperate stop from González.
Both teams continued to take turns creating chances early in the second half. Eugenio Mena, on for Parot, got forward down the left before cutting back for Vidal, whose wicked first time effort from outside the box was blocked. Wolverhampton forward Raúl Jímenez nearly tested Cortés minutes later, sending a flicked header from a Corona cross over the bar and onto the top of the net.
The introduction of Bologna midfielder Erick Pulgar for the ineffective Valdés midway through the half helped Chile wrest control of the match, as Vidal was allowed to push up into an attacking midfield position. Within minutes Chile had nearly found the opener, with an inviting Mena cross headed towards goal by Ángelo Sagal, only for González to make a diving stop low to his left. Even as Chile began to assert their superiority, Mexico should have taken the lead on 73 minutes. After he was played through on goal by Erick Gutiérrez, substitute Jürgen Damm displayed his poor finishing, taking too long to shoot before seeing a weak right-footed effort deflected wide for a corner.
Although Chile looked the brighter side in the game’s final minutes, the match seemed set to end in a scoreless draw until Castillo’s intervention. The former Pumas standout cushioned a first-time layoff from Alexis onto his right before releasing a powerful volley that was stopped by González. However, the Necaxa goalkeeper could only palm the ball in front of his goal, allowing Castillo to nip in front of center-back Diego Reyes and find the net.
Castillo’s strike was Chile’s first goal of the international break, and will allow the defending Copa América champions to go into their November friendlies against Costa Rica and Honduras with renewed optimism. After suffering their first loss on home soil since a 2013 defeat to Honduras at the Estadio Azteca, Mexico will travel to Argentina in November for two matches against la Albiceleste.
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