Copa America 2024: Chile, Peru begin campaign with 0-0 stalemate

Texas: Two-time winners each, Peru and Chile battled it out for a tough ninety minutes in a game that ended in a 0-0 stalemate at the AT&T Stadium.

Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo became the oldest player to start in the South American Championships when he was named in the starting line-up against Peru, in their Group A opener.

Aged 41 Years, 2 Months, 16 Days, he becomes oldest player to play in the tournament’s 108 year old history.

Chile’s striker Alexis Sanchez had the best chance of the night when Alexis Sanchez received a cross in the sixteenth minute of the game but the former Arsenal player skyrocketed it over the crossbar.

Although Chile dominated possession, both sides were lacking tooth in the final third of the field; neither side’s expected goals reached 1 (Peru 0.75 - 0.91 Chile XG) showcasing the lackluster ninety minutes.

Chile’s Ricardo Gareca and Peru’s Jorge Fossati both of whom have taken up the managerial role in 2024 itself with Copa America being their first major test. Gareca saw plenty of familiar faces as he was facing Peru, the team he coached from 2015-2022.

The draw between the two sides will be a huge boost to Canada as the side lost their opening Group A fixture against Argentina on Friday (IST) and will be hoping to win when they face Peru on Wednesday, June 26 (IST).

Chile on the other hand faces familiar woes in defending champions Argentina on Wednesday in what will be a fiery encounter. The two sides met in the finals of the 2015 and 2016 Copa America tournament with Chile emerging victorious in both games. Wednesday’s fixture will be played at the MetLife Stadium which was also the venue of the 2016 final between the two sides. IANS

Also Read: France and Netherlands Play Out Goalless Draw, Edge Closer to Euro 2024 Last 16

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