"For Chile it was definitive to add to the series as it is", said Chile coach Reinaldo Rueda on Friday after a 2-1 win over Ecuador that earned them a place in the quarter-finals of the CONMEBOL Copa América Brazil-2019.
"We knew it was going to be a difficult game because the Ecuador that lost to Uruguay wasn't going to be the one we faced. And so it was. It was definitive to add the points and more for the result of Uruguay-Japan (2-2)", Rueda said at a press conference in Salvador Bahia.
José Fuenzalida, 8 minutes later, and Alexis Sánchez, 51 minutes later, scored La Roja's goals. Enner Valencia, in the penalty at 26', had obtained the partial tie of the Tricolor in the match that was disputed in the Arena Fonte Nova before 11.946 spectators.
The Colombian coach acknowledged that the two-time defending champion's lack of eye-catching play, mostly "because Ecuador didn't make it easy for us".
"We had no intelligence to control the game after the first goal. Ecuador reacted very well and got the tie at a time when we lost order", he said.
"We lacked that mental control to assimilate the 1-0 in favor and make a better game", said Rueda, Ecuador's former coach at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
On the third and final matchday, Monday at the mythical Maracanã, Chile will define with Uruguay, second with 4 points, the first place of the key.
