Chile confirm expectations with 3-1 defeat of Australia

Daniel Garcia Marco, dpa

Chile had to work harder than expected to defeat World Cup underdogs Australia 3-1 in Cuiaba on Friday.

The result nevertheless boosted their chances of progressing in the tournament following the Netherlands' 5-1 demolition of reigning champions Spain in Group B's earlier match.

Chile, with their all-attacking style, have been singled out as a real threat by Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, while the Socceroos are the team with the lowest FIFA ranking in the tournament.

And yet, despite also having most of the fans on their side in the Arena Pantanal stadium, the South Americans struggled to overcome a well organized team that grew in confidence after the break.

Few would have expected such a balanced match after the first quarter of an hour.

Chile started strong and netted their first goal in the 12th minute, with Alexis Sanchez collecting a loose ball in the area and firing home La Roja's first from short range.

With the Socceroos still reeling from the first goal, the Barcelona forward then picked Jorge Valdivia, who was left completely unmarked outside the area, and curled the ball in from a central position for Chile's second.

There was woeful defending from Australia. And yet, the underdogs pulled one back out of nowhere in the 35th, with Tim Cahill heading in a goal from the centre of the area. That goal means Cahill is now one of the few players to have scored in three World Cups.

The second half was a fast-paced affair, with Australia threatening their rivals on several occasions.

It got worse for Chile in the 60th, when star midfielder Arturo Vidal, who had been in doubt until the 11th hour, had to be replaced by Felipe Gutierrez.

Still, Chile could have scored a third soon after, but Alex Wilkinson cleared the ball as it was crossing the goal line following an Eduardo Vargas finish.

It was the first time in the tournament that FIFA's latest innovation - the goal-line technology - was used to confirm the referee's decision.

Despite the scare, Australia grew in confidence, meaning much of the rest of the second half was a balanced affair.

However, it was left to Jean Beausejour to seal the match in Chile's favour in the 90th minute.

While the result was clearly in Chile's favour, the South Americans will have to improve in discipline, particularly in defence, if they want to clinch a result against Spain and the Netherlands.