Defending champions Chile opened their 2019 Copa America campaign with a 4-0 win over guest team Japan on Tuesday morning, during which Manchester United flop Alexis Sanchez was in fine form.
Click through the mini-gallery above to see Chile and Japan's match in pictures!
Chilean supporters were at the Estadio Cicero Pompeu de Toledo in numbers to cheer on their country, with Arturo Vidal causing a roar among the fans when he went hard into a challenge on Real Madrid new boy Takefusa Kubo in the second minute.
Kubo, however, was quick to pick himself up and get back on the ball, while his free-kick effort from the edge of the Chile penalty box in the sixth minute went high and wide.
Japan continued to press the two-time champions through the likes of Kubo and Ayase Ueda, with Chile having their first attempt at goal in the 14th minute. Vidal's effort, however, caused the opposition goalkeeper no issues.
Chile grew into the match as time passed, although Japan were undoubtedly the better side until the 40-minute mark. Just a minute later, Chile found themselves ahead.
Midfielder Erick Pulgar was brilliantly picked out by Charles Aranguiz from a set-piece, meeting the ball with a towering header to send it into the back of the net.
Japan almost pulled a goal back immediately after conceding, when Ueda rounded the Chile goalkeeper in the 44th minute. His shot from a tight angle went wide, though, a missed chance he was nearly made to rue as Sanchez then missed a great opportunity to double Chile's lead less than 60 seconds later.
The Chileans took a 1-0 lead into break, but eventually scored a second in the 54th minute through Eduardo Vargas. Young Japan goalkeeper Keisuke Osaka was unlucky to be unbeaten by a deflected effort, although the play in the build-up to the goal was brilliant.
Kubo almost pulled a goal back for Japan in the 65th minute after skipping over a few challenges, but the guest nation appeared out of luck. The went close a few more times in the second half, but Chile found a third when Sanchez headed the ball home in the 82nd minute.
Sanchez then turned provider a minute later, assisting Vargas for the second of his brace. The former Queens Park Rangers attacker lobbed Osaka with an excellent finish, making it 4-0, perhaps a scoreline that does not truly reflect how the match played out.
