Penalty Kick Helps Chile Down Bolivia 2-1 at Copa America
Penalty Kick Helps Chile Down Bolivia 2-1 at Copa America
Arturo Vidal scored his second goal of the game on a penalty kick in second-half stoppage time and Chile kept alive its hopes of advancing in Copa America with a 2-1 victory over Bolivia

Foxborough: Arturo Vidal scored his second goal of the game on a penalty kick in second-half stoppage time and Chile kept alive its hopes of advancing in Copa America with a 2-1 victory over Bolivia in Group D play Friday night.

Defending Copa America champion Chile ended a three-game losing streak. Bolivia has lost six straight and has allowed at least two goals in each of its last 12 games.

Chile finished with 10 shots on goal to just one for Bolivia.

Chile was awarded the penalty try after Luis Gutierrez was called for a hand ball.

Vidal opened the scoring in the first minute of the second half when he corralled a Bolivia turnover and executed a give-and-go with Mauricio Pinilla and slid a goal past Carlos Lampe. Bolivia tied it the 61st minute when Jhasmani Campos hooked a left-footed free kick just inside the post from 30 yards out.

The awarded penalty kick came after a play in the first half in which referees didn't call was appeared to dodge a hand ball by Bolivia's Ronald Eguino.

Eguino was stretched off in the 90th minute after being kicked in the face by an errant bicycle kick attempt by Chile's Eduardo Vargas.

Both Gutierrez and Walter Veizaga received yellow cards for arguing the hand-ball call.

Chile was the more aggressive team throughout and had a handful of other opportunities off free kicks. But it was unable to convert on any of them before getting awarded the penalty try.

That came after it held 75 percent of the ball possessions in the first half.

Chile officially had only three shots and one corner kick in the half, but constantly had Bolivia in defensive mode. Bolivia also had some early luck go its way to help it dodge some dangerous opportunities by Chile.

The first came when Vidal got free along the sideline in the 21st minute, before badly missing an open cross into the box off the side of his foot.

In the 40th minute Vidal was again involved when he took a loose ball off the post and tapped it to Alexis Sanchez inside the box. Starring at a momentarily open net Sanchez quickly got off a shot, but Edward Zenteno was there to dive at the last second for a save off his chest.

The teams will complete group play Tuesday night. Chile will face Panama in Philadelphia, and Bolivia will play Argentina in Seattle.

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