Chile left it late to clinch a 2-0 win over Cameroon in their Group B game of the 2017 Confederations Cup at the Spartak Stadium, with Arturo Vidal and Eduardo Vargas bagging a goal each to get La Roja off to a perfect start in the quadrennial tournament on Sunday. 

Chile coach Juan Pizzi made a couple of bold changes to his starting XI, with Claudio Bravo getting relegated to the bench in favour of veteran keeper Johnny Herrera but it was Alexis Sanchez’s absence from the lineups that had fans worried. The Arsenal winger had rolled his ankle in training, but was deemed fit to be on the bench. 

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Vargas led Chile in a 4-3-3 formation, with Bayern Munich star Arturo Vidal playing his usual midfield role with Gary Medel and Mauricio Isla the big names in defence. 

In stark contrast to their South American opponents, Cameroon didn't have a single star in their team, as coach Hugo Broos opted to mix experience with youth in the starting XI. 

Chile, as expected, were fast out of the blocks, with Vargas hitting the post in the first minute itself and the Copa American champions were not letting the Indomitable Lions see much of the ball. 

Jose Fuenzalida was next to come close to opening the scoring, turning smartly in the Cameroon box but Fabrice Ondoa was equal to the task and made an important stop. 

As Chile poured forward, they were left vulnerable to a counter-attack and Cameroon came close to making them pay, but Herrera made a smart save to keep the teams level. 

Half-time approached and Chile continued to swarm forward, peppering Ondoa’s goal but to no avail. 
And they thought their perseverance had paid off when Vargas scored in injury-time, only for the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system to correctly rule out the goal for an offside.

Post the interval it was the same story as Chile continued to keep up the pressure but with a lack of cutting edge, they were struggling to find a breakthrough. Pizzi recognised his side needed to change something and he sent on Sanchez two minutes before the hour-mark and it was the Arsenal man who created the breakthrough. 

Sanchez’s uncanny combination with Vidal bore fruit for Chile yet again, as he sent in a perfectly weighted cross from the left for Vidal to head home in the 81st minute. 

That goal put the fight out of the Indomitable Lions and as their shoulders slumped, Chile looked for a second goal which would prove crucial as they sought to improve their goal-difference.

And the second came, in the 91st minute with Sanchez proving crucial once again. The winger rounded Ondoa, yet could not finish as his shot hit a back-tracking Cameroonian defender, but Vargas was at hand to stab home the rebound and confirm the three points. 

Chile are now topping Group B having won their only game, but with World Cup champions Germany set to face Australia on Monday, the leaderboard could change yet again.