Though only managing a narrow 1-0 win, Chile dominated proceedings in the opening match in Group H. The pre-match talk out of the Chilean camp was that they were going to attack their CONCACAF counterparts, and that is exactly what they did.
From the opening whistle, the fluidity of the Chilean attack was evident as they worked the ball around the pitch nicely. Alexis Sanchez in particular was giving the Honduras defence fits with his quick feet and opportune runs .
The constant pressure by the Chileans paid off in 34th minute as Mauricio Isla was able to get past Matias Fernandez and delivered the ball to Chilean forward Jean Beausejour, Honduras defender Sergio Mendoza in hopes of clearing the ball from Beausejour inadvertently deflected the ball off of the Chileans chest and into the Honduran net.
Honduras all-time leading scorer Carlos Pavon couldn’t manage to make a impact in the game and was substituted in the 60th. Wilson Palacios managed slightly better but the overall ball possession for the Chileans was keeping any consistent Honduran offensive threats at bay.
Perhaps the best Honduran was keeper Noel Valladares who managed to keep the Chileans from adding to their lead throughout the game. A fantastic save off a header in the 63rd minute was his shining moment.
Chile will next see action against Switzerland while Honduras take on European Champions Spain on Monday.