Alexis Sanchez lifts Chile to victory despite ankle injury
Although Alexis Sanchez had to fight past an ankle injury he suffered in the first half, the Manchester United forward scored the decisive goal to lift Chile past Ecuador in the team’s final Group C game of the Copa America.
Alexis Sanchez had a rough 2018-2019 campaign at the club level for Manchester United, as his poor performances and high wages made him a target for intense criticism from the fan base and media. Previously, Sanchez was one of the top players in the Premier League at Arsenal prior to joining United and was widely viewed as a world-class player.
On Friday night in Chile’s final Copa America group stage game against Ecuador, Sanchez showed off all of that world-class ability. The best player on the pitch, he and Bayer Leverkusen star Charles Aranguiz lifted Chile to a 2-1 victory and a first-place finish in Group C.
In the 51st minute, Sanchez provided a moment of magic for Chile that would prove to be decisive, as he scored the go-ahead goal with a lovely, first-time volley into the far corner that left Ecuador’s keeper for dead. It was a brilliant goal, made all the more impressive by the fact that Sanchez suffered an ankle injury (not to the same ankle he had issues with last season for United) in the first half of the game.
Chile have won the past two Copa Americas, so there’s huge pressure on Sanchez and the rest of the key players on the national team to continue winning. Sanchez has long been a critical player for his country, and this was yet another performance where he did everything in his power to get a win for his country.
dark. Next. Women's World Cup Round of 16 Power Rankings
With this win, Chile are in the quarterfinals. Since Sanchez has two goals in two games and has made plenty of things happen with his quality on the ball, the 30-year-old is showing that he’s not washed up and still has plenty to give a club, including United. The Red Devils have struggled to get the most out of top players like Sanchez and Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku, who have both shined for their countries this summer. Sanchez is currently WhoScored.com’s highest-rated player in Copa America.