Mendoza, Argentina, July 09: Alexis Sanchez equalized in the 65th minute to give Chile a 1-1 draw against Uruguay on Friday in the Copa America.
Alvaro Pereira had given Uruguay a 1-0 lead in the 54th minute in the Group C match.
Chile improved to 4 points from two matches and Uruguay, which reached the World Cup semifinals a year ago, has 2 points.
Chile's last group game will be against Peru while Uruguay will face Mexico, which is fielding an Olympic-style under-23 team as it is playing as a guest in the 12-team South American championship.
Both teams could have used a victory to guarantee passage to the second round, where they should be among the favorites.
“Each of these teams showed they have possibilities in this tournament,” Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez said.
Uruguay had a couple of chances in an even first half; the best being Diego Forlan's header which was stopped on the line by a Chile defender. Chile had a few close long shots, including one from Mauricio Isla which hit a post late in the half.
Uruguay took the lead when Luis Suarez dribbled away from defenders on the left side, then send a perfect pass in front of the net to Pereira, who took his time and slotted the ball past keeper Claudio Bravo.
Suarez almost made it 2-0 in the 63rd, forcing Bravo to bat away a low shot.
However Chile was the better side from then on, and equalized when Alexis Sanchez—who is the most sought-after player among Europe's big clubs during the current offseason—took a centering pass and slotted home from 12 meters (yards), beating Uruguay keeper Fernando Muslera.
Chile's Luis Jimenez almost scored the winner with a header in the 77th, forcing Muslera into a diving save. Isla pressed Muslera into another key save five minutes later with Chile dominating but unable to find the winner. AP
