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A goalless draw saw Canada reach four points in Group A, five behind leaders Argentina
Published : 30 Jun 2024, 11:16 AM
Canada played out a dour goalless Copa America draw with 10-man Chile on Saturday to claim second place in Group A and progress to the quarter-finals, while the Chileans finished third to exit in the group stage for the first time since 2004.
The draw moved Copa America debutants Canada up to four points in Group A, five behind leaders Argentina, who had already qualified for the quarter-finals.
Two-time champions Chile ended with two points and Peru finished bottom with one after losing 2-0 to Argentina in Saturday's other match.
Chile exited the tournament without a single goal to their name, prolonging a scoring drought in which they have netted only three goals in their first six 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Needing to win and have other results go their way, Chile had their uphill task made even harder after Gabriel Suazo was shown a second yellow card in the 27th minute for bringing down Richie Laryea.
The red card was protested angrily by Chile's players, who criticised the refereeing after the match.
"CONMEBOL has to be a little more efficient and learn from what Europe is like. It is no excuse, but refereeing like that makes you angry. A red card ruins the whole game," Chile forward Alexis Sanchez said.
"I apologise to the people for this elimination, but we are going to do everything to go to the World Cup."
Chile also felt aggrieved after Canada defender Moise Bombito appeared to elbow Rodrigo Echeverria in the fifth minute of the match but VAR did not review the incident.
Captain Claudio Bravo, sidelined through injury, shared a video of the incident on X, saying: "It is unbelievable that with the technology that exists today in soccer, they can screw you over in this way.
"It is very hard to understand, it is impossible to compete against this. We leave with our heads held high, we gave everything!"
In the first half, Chile created more scoring opportunities, with Victor Davila coming closest with a volley that flashed wide of the right post in the 21st minute.
However, the dismissal of Suazo shifted the balance in Canada's favour.
In the 38th minute, Jonathan David collided with Chilean goalkeeper Gabriel Arias while attempting to lob a volley over him. Despite Canada's appeals for a penalty, the referee remained unmoved.
Arias was again called into action in the 42nd minute, rushing off his line to deny Stephen Eustaquio's shot from the edge of the area.
Chile continued to press after the break but failed to seriously challenge Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, before beginning to flag under the tropical conditions as the game progressed.
Canada thought they had taken the lead in the second minute of stoppage time through substitute Tani Oluwaseyi, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
