Canada hold 10-man Chile to book Copa America quarterfinal ticket in first outing

Canada booked a place in the Copa America quarterfinals for the first time in their history after a goalless draw against 10-man Chile.

The result saw Canada finish second in Group A, while Chile was eliminated in the group stage for the first time since 2004.

The draw lifted Canada to four points, five behind group leaders Argentina.

Chile ended their campaign with two points, and Peru finished at the bottom with one.

Chile faced a tough battle when Gabriel Suazo received a second yellow card in the 27th minute for a foul on Richie Laryea.

The red card decision sparked outrage among Chile’s players and fans, with forward Alexis Sanchez criticizing the refereeing standards.

“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,” Sanchez said, as reported by ESPN.

He apologized to fans and vowed to focus on World Cup qualification.

Chile also felt wronged by the officials when Canada’s Moise Bombito appeared to elbow Rodrigo Echeverria in the fifth minute, an incident that was not reviewed by VAR.

In a match with limited opportunities, Chile goalkeeper Gabriel Arias made crucial saves from Canada’s Stephen Eustaquio and Tajon Buchanan.

Canada goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau also denied a deflected effort from Alexis Sanchez.

Canada thought they had scored in stoppage time through Tani Oluwaseyi, but the goal was disallowed for offside.

Canada will now aim to become the fourth team to win more than one match in their first Copa America appearance.

Uruguay won twice in 1916, Mexico won twice in 1993, and Honduras secured three victories in 2001.