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England national football team
International Friendlies
Nov 15, 2013 at 8pm UK
 
Chile national football team

0-2

FT(HT: 0-1)
Sanchez (7', 94')

Live Commentary: England 0-2 Chile - as it happened

Relive Chile's famous 2-0 win over England at Wembley with Sports Mole's live play-by-play coverage.
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Chile ended England's year-long unbeaten streak with a 2-0 victory in a friendly match at Wembley this evening.

Alexis Sanchez broke the deadlock for the visitors after just seven minutes when he stole in front of Leighton Baines to nod his header into the bottom corner.

The Barcelona man also got Chile's second of the night, capping off a memorable team performance with a lovely dinked finish in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time.

You can read how it all unfolded with Sports Mole's live coverage below.


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Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's international friendly match between England and Chile. This is the first of a Wembley double header for England as they celebrate the FA's 150th anniversary. Germany are the guests on Tuesday night, but right now all eyes are on Chile.

Where better to start than with our hosts, then? England ride into this match on a wave of optimism borne out of their qualification for the 2014 World Cup last month. Things looked a little tight for England at times during the qualifying campaign, but victories over Montenegro and Poland - coupled with decent performances on both occasions - have made things look a lot better in hindsight.

Overall, the qualifying campaign looks fairly comfortable for England right now. Looking back on it, they remained unbeaten throughout and scored 31 goals while conceding just four. However, draws against Montenegro, Poland and Ukraine did make things tougher for England, and it shouldn't be forgotten that there were nervy moments on their way to Brazil.

Still, there is a growing sense of optimism around the England team at the moment. The unreasonable levels of expectations have been left behind, giving Hodgson a chance to build a team using young talent mixed with the England stalwarts. Another three players will be given debuts tonight, including Southampton duo Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez. Fraser Forster also starts between the sticks, giving this England side a new look in a friendly designed for experimentation.

Coupled with the bright start made by Andros Townsend to his international career, and the good form of youngsters such as Ross Barkley and - although he is not in the current squad - Ravel Morrison, that points at a bright future for England. In the likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Wayne Rooney they have the perfect role models with bagfuls of experience as well.

Gerrard won't be playing today due to injury, but Frank Lampard does play and takes over the captain's armband on a special night for him. He is the latest member of the centurion club with England, an achievement that certainly shouldn't be played down despite a number of players reaching it recently. Only a handful in history have reached triple figures for England, and among them are some of the greatest players to have ever graced these shores. Lampard will be awarded a commemorative golden cap before tonight's match, and it will be presented by his father Frank Lampard Snr, and the hero of the 1966 World Cup final Sir Geoff Hurst.

England have not been beaten in their last 10 games, including friendlies and competitive matches. In that time, they have won six and drawn four, which is a record that Hodgson will be keen to improve as much as possible. Their last defeat came at the hands of a Zlatan Ibrahimovic-inspired Sweden side, who beat the Three Lions 4-2 one year and one day ago.

One area of potential weakness for England has been their defence, where they have lacked a solid and consistent back line for some time. Tonight, Johnson returns to the side having missed both games last month, while Baines stays on at left-back and Cahill and Jones make up the middle two. Despite the chopping and changing, however, England have only conceded one goal in their last four games - and that was in a 4-1 win over Montenegro.

England have a formidable recent record at Wembley, which should bode well for them going into this game. Roy Hodgson's side have not lost here since a late 3-2 defeat to Holland back in February of last year.

Chile's away record, on the other hand, is not quite as impressive. They have only won one of their last seven matches on their travels, although they are unbeaten in their last four. Those seven matches have yielded three draws and three defeats as well as that solitary victory.

The fact that they don't tend to travel well should not mask the fact that they are a team bursting with quality, though. They will be weakened by the lack of Arturo Vidal, who misses the game through injury, but they have Barcelona star Alexis Sanchez in their ranks and fans of English football will also be fully aware of Cardiff's Gary Medel, who acts as a very effective ball-winner in midfield.

They are also on a very good run of form having not lost any of their last nine matches. They have won six and drawn three of those games, with their last defeat coming in March of this year when they were beaten 1-0 by Peru.

That loss didn't prevent Jorge Sampaoli's side from qualifying for the 2014 World Cup quite comfortably, however. They finished third in the South American section behind Argentina and Colombian, winning nine, drawing one and losing six of their 16 matches.

During that campaign Chile certainly showed that they know where the goal is, scoring 29 times in those 16 matches. That was second only behind the attacking wealth of Argentina, so England will have to be wary of that tonight. However, their main problem came at the other end. They conceded 25 goals, which was the highest number out of any of the automatic qualifiers, while they have also conceded six goals in their last three games.

One worrying stat for Chile going into this match - and indeed the World Cup - is their record against European teams. They have only won one of their last seven matches against teams from Europe, and that was a 4-0 win over lowly Estonia in 2011. However, it should also be noted that their most recent match against European opposition saw them face Spain and come away with a highly creditable 2-2 draw.

TEAM NEWS: Right, it is about time I brought you lot some team news I think! I have already mentioned some of the England selections in passing, the most notable of which are the inclusions of debutants Lallana, Rodriguez and Forster. Milner and Wilshere join Lampard and Lallana in midfield, while Wayne Rooney unsurprisingly plays up front alongside Rodriguez. Chile, meanwhile, are without Valdivia who failed a late fitness test, but Sanchez leads the line. Full team news for both sides coming right up.

ENGLAND STARTING XI: Forster; Johnson, Baines, Cahill, Jones; Milner, Wilshere, Lampard, Lallana; Rooney, Rodriguez

ENGLAND SUBS: Smalling, Ruddy, Cole, Gibbs, Jagielka, Barkley, Cleverley, Henderson, Townsend, Defoe, Hart

CHILE STARTING XI: Bravo; Isla, Medel, Gonzalez, Mena; Fernandes, Diaz, Aranguiz, Vargas, Beausejour; Sanchez

So, what can we make of those two sides? Well, it will be very interesting to see how this new-look England side get on tonight, and if the new trio perform anything like England's other recent debutants have then they could play a big part in a win for Roy Hodgson's side tonight. The likes of Townsend and Lambert have come in and done well recently, so Lallana, Rodriguez and Forster will hope to follow in those footsteps.

Of course, the main threat to the Chile defence will be Wayne Rooney, who is in fine form this season. He was on of England's top performers throughout the qualifying stages - when he was fit, that is - and will be hoping to continue his impressive form tonight.

Elsewhere, it is a grand occasion from Lampard tonight as he gets the armband on his 103rd cap. He has plenty of experience to help guide Lallana through tonight's match, although on the basis of some of the Southampton man's performances so far this season he won't need too much help.

As for Chile, their main man in the absence of Vidal will be Alexis Sanchez, who is used to rubbing shoulders with the best at Barcelona. He will be a major threat to the England defence tonight and any Chile result is likely to have him at the heart of it.

Behind him, Wigan's Jean Beausejour will be familiar with many of the players he is coming up against tonight, but they will also know all about him. He can be a very tricky customer at times but isn't in the same class as Sanchez or, indeed, a few of the England players on show tonight.

Chile will have found memories of Wembley - at least the old stadium - having won on their last visit here. Marcelo Salas was the hero of the hour on that occasion, scoring twice in a 2-0 win for Chile in the build-up to the 1998 World Cup. On a night where three players make their England debut, it seems apt that in that match more than 15 years ago, a certain Michael Owen was making his international bow, as was Nicky Butt.

Overall, England have a winning record over Chile, but they haven't managed a victory over the South American for more than 60 years. They won the first two meetings before drawing the next two and losing that match at Wembley in 1998. The last Englishman to score against Chile, you may be interested to know, was the great Nat Lofthouse way back in 1953.

PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes from kickoff at Wembley, which means that it is time for my match prediction! Friendlies are always tough to predict, particularly with so many unknown quantities at international level on show. Both teams are in good form but I feel that England's home advantage could be a deciding factor this evening. It will be a close encounter, but I'm going to go for a 2-1 home win.

All eyes have been on the Southampton trio for England going into this game, the first time the Saints have had three players in the national squad since January 1986, when Shilton, Wright and Wallace were all on show for a 4-0 win over Egypt. Southampton players seem to have a good record with England too - they have won their last nine games in which a Southampton player has scored, stretching back to Mick Channon's goal against Scotland in 1977. How's that for a stat?

Just two position separate these two sides in the FIFA World Rankings, which goes to show how tough a challenge this will be for England. Roy Hodgson's side sit 10th in the rankings, while Chile are 12th.

There are plenty more international fixtures on offer tonight, including a particularly tasty looking World Cup qualifier between Sweden and Portugal. You can see which ones we are covering here. I will also be keeping you up to date with major events from the World Cup qualifiers and the friendlies involving home nations here.

'God Save the Queen' rings around Wembley, but it isn't the most concise version of the anthem I have ever heard! The players shake hands, the flags are exchanged, and we're just about ready to go here at Wembley. This is a big night for three England players in particular.

KICKOFF: Chile get us underway at Wembley as they look to repeat their heroics of 15 years ago. This one looks like being a very intriguing match.

Jay Rodriguez gets an early chance to show what he can do in the white of England, but he leaves the ball behind while running at the defence and is then barged out of the way. Moments later England get a free kick in a very good position...

SAVE! It's an early save for Bravo to make, and he does it rather extravagantly. Lallana swings a fine free kick into the box and Phil Jones gets his head to it, steering a decent effort towards the top corner. Bravo flies across goal and palms it up rather than away, before a defender gets back to clear behind for a corner.

SAVE! How has that one not gone in?! Milner does well to stay onside and he is slipped on down the right of the box. He drills a dangerous low ball into the middle and it takes a deflection off a defender before drawing a good reaction stop from Bravo.

GOAL! England 0-1 Chile (Alexis Sanchez)

After such a bright start by England it is Chile who have taken the early lead. The visitors had a great chance just before scoring as Aranguiz saw a shot blocked, but Beausejour worked it back out to Mena, who stood the ball up for Sanchez to nod home. It was great movement by the Barca striker, but Baines should have done better in tracking the run. Forster, meanwhile, concedes seven minutes into his debut.

SAVE! England look to respond straight away as Rooney gives the ball to Lallana, who has been heavily involved so far. He fires a low shot goalwards but it is straight at Bravo, who initially fumbles but then collects at the second attempt.

Well, this certainly hasn't been a boring start to the match! England have started well and threatened the Chile goal on a number of occasions already, but it is Chile who have the lead having taken their only chance.

Milner does brilliantly down the right flank to beat his man and then somehow dig out a fine cross into the middle. Bravo shows his extravagant side once more, however, claiming the ball in one hand with an impressive take.

SAVE! Chile find space on a quick counter attack again, but this time Forster is able to make the save. Beausejour was slipped in on the left and drilled a decent enough effort towards the far corner, but it is always a save that you'd expect Forster to make.

England have been accused of playing out dull and dreary friendlies in recent years, but that has certainly not been the case so far today. I'm sure Hodgson would prefer it to be a little tighter as holes are popping up in both defences with alarming regularity at the moment.

Of the debutants, Lallana has had the biggest impact on the match so far. In a way he is doing exactly what Townsend did on his first start - playing exactly how he does for his club. Forster has had a couple of dodgy moments but could do nothing about the goal, while Rodriguez has barely been in the game at all.

YELLOW CARD! Beausejour becomes the first name in the book for a lunging tackle from behind on Wilshere are the England man threatened to break out of midfield. Even in a friendly, that was a deserved yellow.

SAVE! The free kick is a long way out but that doesn't deter Lampard, who unleashes a powerful dipping strike towards the top corner. It takes a slight deflection off the wall on the way through and Bravo has to make another acrobatic save to turn it over the top.

England have a messy build-up but eventually the ball finds its way to Milner around 35 yards from goal. He brings it a little closer before shooting with his weaker left foot, only to see his strike deflect off a defender and loop onto the roof of the net for a corner.

SAVE! Brilliant strike from Wilshere as the ball breaks to him 25 yards from goal. He goes for it with a first-time half-volley certainly catches the ball sweet enough, but it is at a nice height for Bravo to make the save.

Better play from England as they knock the ball around in midfield, with Lallana taking on an almost free role in dictating the move. Eventually a pass through defence is cut out and runs to the keeper, but that was much sharper passing from the hosts.

Lampard steers a good disguised pass into Lallana, who is standing right on the edge of the Chile box. He takes a touch before nodding the ball over the defender and trying to collect it at the other side. He is eventually crowded out, however, and the referee also penalises him for a high foot.

CHANCE! England need to ask questions of themselves there as the smallest man on the field Gary Medel is afforded a free header from a corner. He can't steer the effort on target, but Jones lost his man and he shouldn't have been given so much space.

CHANCE! Another big chance for Chile! It was a superb move from the visitors as they played it all the way from the back before a sequence of lovely passes in the final third to set up Beausejour. However, the Wigan man's control let him down with just Forster to beat, forcing him to cut back and put it into the middle, where England scramble back to clear the danger.

Rooney is getting increasingly vocal on the pitch as he grows more and more frustrated with the way this match is going. The United striker hasn't been able to make an impact on this game so far.

There are a few players just nursing slight knocks at the moment. Cahill, Wilshere and a couple of Chile players are not moving too freely at the moment, although I don't think any of the issues are too serious.

Rodriguez gets a bit of a lucky break on the edge of the box, reacting to a loose ball quicker than the defender. His immediate thought is to go for goal, but his strike is tame and not even Bravo can make that save look dramatic as he scoops it up.

Good play from Wilshere as he knocks the ball through the legs of Diaz to get into the box, but Isla comes back with an important tackle to concede a corner.

CLOSE! England come close from the resulting corner, Phil Jones sticking his leg out to direct the delivery a yard or so past the post. It was a difficult chance for the defender but he almost found the bottom corner with that unorthodox effort.

Lallana wins a free kick off Alexis Sanchez and once again Lampard is standing over it. It is a long way out but he has come close with one from a similar distance today, so he could go for goal here.

Instead, he plays it short to Johnson and England's attack quickly breaks down, giving Chile a chance to break. Vargas was the man who was on his own up front for the visitors, but he couldn't get the better of two England defenders.

CHANCE! Big chance for the hosts as Wilshere threads a fine ball in to Rooney, whose first touch takes him back inside and gives him a chance to set up a teammate. Both Lallana and Rodriguez are in close attendance and it is the former who picks up the ball before drilling his shot wide with the help of a deflection. That was a nice piece of football from England.

There will be just the one minute of added time at the end of this first half.

Chile once again break on the counter and catch England short at the back. Beausejour is the man played in, not for the first time tonight, but again he can't find a telling final ball, whipping his cross a long way in front of his supporting runners.

HALF-TIME: England 0-1 Chile

Things aren't quite going England's way in this one so far. They go into the break 1-0 down after Alexis Sanchez scored for Chile in the seventh minute, and the visitors have shown plenty of signs that they are capable of adding to that tally. It is a fairly even game at the moment and we are nicely set up for a good, competitive second half at Wembley.

In many ways, Hodgson won't be too unhappy with that first half. He stressed before the game that performance was more important than result and, while England haven't been at their best so far, the situation they find themselves in should tell Hodgson a lot about his players. They are losing against a very good team and have certainly not had things all their own way so far. This is a lot more representative of what the World Cup may be like than a friendly against a weaker team would be.

I expect to see plenty of changes at the break and in the second half for both sides. For England, I wouldn't be surprised if Townsend was one of the first on, and his direct style is something that England have been sorely missing so far today. Rodriguez hasn't really been involved so far tonight and he could be the man to make way for the Tottenham winger.

Chile have played some very attractive football in this match and they seem to be comfortable in possession from 1-11. They have played the ball out of defence plenty of times, even when England have tried to press high, and the speed of their counter attack has caused the hosts a number of problems already. In truth, in terms of clear-cut chances, England are probably lucky that they are only 1-0 down.

That isn't to say that Roy Hodgson's side haven't had their moments, though. They have threatened Chile's goal on a number of occasions and Bravo has been forced into a few very good saves. The Three Lions started the match very well and Sanchez's early goal was certainly against the run of play. They have not been able to get Wayne Rooney in the game as much as they would have liked, however, and that is something that Hodgson will be looking to rectify in the second half if the United striker stays on.

UPDATE: I can bring you news of one World Cup qualifying match that has now finished as 10-man Iceland have held Croatia to a goalless draw. Greece also lead Romania 2-1 in their match, while Portugal vs. Sweden and Ukraine vs. France are both still goalless.

The players are on their way back onto the field now and it looks like Chile have made a couple of chances at the break. A big second half awaits both teams as they continue to experiment with next year's World Cup in mind.

CHILE SUBS: There are indeed tow changes for Chile as they bring on Felipe Guiterrez and Carlos Carmona in place of Fernandez and Aranguiz.

KICKOFF: England get us back underway for the second half. They are unchanged, so Hodgson clearly wants to see a little more of the likes of Lallana and Rodriguez in England colours. Can they make a good impression in the next 45 minutes?

Rooney makes an early break down the right but his cutback is bundled behind for a corner. He perhaps could have gone for goal himself there but you can see why he opted for a pass as he was at a tight angle.

UPDATE: Ukraine have taken the lead in their World Cup qualifying match against France. Roman Zozulja has got the goal in the 61st minute there - could France be on the way to missing out on the World Cup?

Nice play against from England as they press as a unit to win the ball back in a good position. Rooney slides the ball through to Lallana, who tries to return the favour with his cutback but Diaz makes an important interception.

That isn't one Rooney will want to see again. He cuts onto his usually-deadly right foot just outside the box and tries to curl an effort towards the top corner. It is something we have seen him do countless times, but on this occasion he gets it completely wrong and sends it high and wide.

UPDATE: Greece have made it 3-1 against Romania in their World Cup qualifier, giving them a cushion going into the second leg if things stay the same. Ireland, meanwhile, have doubled their lead against Latvia in Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane's first match in charge.

Chile have taken over the tempo of this match, slowly passing the ball around the defence before cranking up the speed through Sanchez and creating a decent chance. They deliver a dangerous cross into the box which Forster spills into a bad area, but Cahill is on hand to hack it away.

YELLOW CARD! Cahill goes into the book for a needless late foul on Guiterrez. He can have no complaints there, it was a tackle made from pure frustration.

ENGLAND SUBS: Here comes a double change for England, and one of them is the sub I expected. Rodriguez goes off after an hour on his international debut to be replaced by Andros Townsend, who gets a huge ovation from the home fans. Chris Smalling also comes on for Phil Jones.

Bravo is hurt here after a collision with Cahill in the area. The visitors aren't happy with the defender's challenge, but he could do nothing about it and if anything was pushed into the keeper by Beausejour who, cheekily, is leading the protests.

CHILE SUB: After plenty of messing about tying his laces up, on comes Nottingham Forest's Gonzalo Jara to replace Isla.

Townsend makes an immediate impact, running straight at the defence as he always does. His cutback to Rooney is intercepted by Medel, but the Cardiff man then concedes a free kick with a heavy challenge on Wilshere. England have a chance in a very good position here, with Baines looking particularly interested.

It is Baines who shoots, but his effort is deflected off a wall who had edged a couple of yards closer than the allowed 10 before the kick was taken.

YELLOW CARDS! The ref flashes yellow cards to both Smalling and Jara for an incident inside the box before a corner. Jara actually led with his head there, which could have prompted a red.

The corner is eventually delivered into the box and Bravo punches it clear rather than going for the catch. It fall to Johnson 25 yards from goal but his powerful left-footed strike flies over the bar.

ENGLAND SUB: This is an attacking change from Hodgson as he brings on Jermain Defoe in place of Milner. Lallana may just move into a more withdrawn role now to accommodate that sub.

Patient build-up play from England as Baines exchanges passes with a couple of players before whipping a cross into the middle. It is slightly behind Lallana, who can't adjust in time to steer the header goalwards as Chile clear the danger.

This is worrying for Southampton as Lallana goes down when stretching for a ball and stays down. He is not one to make the most of injuries and there was no contact with an opposition player, which is even more for England and the Saints to be concerned with.

ENGLAND SUBS: Frank Lampard goes off on his 103rd cap, handing the captain's armband to Rooney. Wilshere also makes way, with the duo replaced by Jordan Henderson and Tom Cleverley.

CHILE SUB: The visitors make a change of their own as Vargas goes off to be replaced by Carlos Munoz. He is another forward, so Chile are certainly not parking the bus here.

The influx of subs in the second half has made this game a little disjointed now. England need a spark from somewhere to get both the team and the crowd going.

UPDATE: In a match widely sold as being Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Zlatan Ibrahimovic it is the Portuguese forward who has done the most damage. He has scored the only goal in a 1-0 win for Portugal in their World Cup playoff against Sweden. Ireland are also now 3-0 up while Ukraine lead France 2-0 in another playoff.

ENGLAND SUB: Ross Barkley is going to get a chance to show what he can do in the final 15 minutes, coming on for his second cap in place of debutant Lallana, who has impressed me tonight.

Chile are seeing more of the ball than England right now as they look to take any sting out of the final 10 minutes. It must be said that the visitors are looking pretty comfortable right now, and it is hard to see where an England equaliser may come from.

The tempo is very slow at the moment. Bravo just had the ball at his feet for what must have been 10 seconds without a single white shirt going to close him down. Chile are happy just to wind down the clock here and it is going to be up to England to stop that happening.

CHILE SUB: Jean Beausejour has had some good chances in this match but wasn't able to take any. He makes way now to be replaced by Jose Fuenzalida.

Really good play from Barkley as he turns his man before running at the defence and weaving his way through a couple of tackles into the box. His final ball is disappointing, but that was at least a promising piece of play from the youngster.

Rooney and Barkley almost link up on the edge of the box but some wily defending by Gonzalez buys his side a free kick from the Everton man, much to the dismay of the home support.

Tim is running out for England now and there is still very little signs of a breakthrough. They had their moments in the first have, but chances in the second have been very few and far between for both sides.

The fourth official indicates an additional five minutes of time at the end of this match. I'm not sure where they have come from, but England won't be complaining!

Nice play from Sanchez as he keeps an over-hit cross in before running straight at Johnson and slipping a pass inside the full-back for Mena. The full-back's low delivery is cut out by Forster, who immediately looks to launch an attack.

YELLOW CARD! Cynical challenge from Mena as he chops down Townsend as the winger threatened to lead a quick break. As fouls go, that was a very good one to make.

GOAL! England 0-2 Chile (Alexis Sanchez)

Game over. Sanchez bookmarks the night with a pair of goals, and this one was a delightful little finish. It was sloppy from Cahill as he gave the ball away with a lazy square ball, allowing Chile to break and Sanchez to be played in. From there, the Barcelona man made no mistake, dinking the ball over Forster.

FULL-TIME: England 0-2 Chile

The referee brings an end to a disappointing and frustrating night for Roy Hodgson and England. Chile condemn the Three Lions to their first defeat in over a year and their first at Wembley since February 2012, extending their unbeaten streak to 10 matches in the process.

Hodgson chose Chile as opponents to give England a good test against quality South American opposition, and they certainly got that this evening. Chile played some impressive stuff and, once they had the lead, protected it expertly by controlling the ball before adding the finishing touch late on. As for England, they will look to learn from this defeat but they won't take it to heart too much. They named an experimental lineup and were missing a number of their biggest names, so Hodgson won't be too worried at the result.

Right, that is all we have time for this evening. Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for an intriguing match at Wembley as Chile repeat their 1998 performance in beating England 2-0 in their own backyard. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction and analysis, which will be on site shortly. There is plenty more international football coming your way on Tuesday, so make sure you're back with us for that! Until then, though, it is goodbye from me!

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Southampton's Jay Rodriguez celebrates after scoring his team's second goal against Barnsley during their League Cup match on August 27, 2013
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