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Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez said that Chile knew at last year’s World Cup that they would win their first Copa America this year.
And their dreams came true last night as a 4-1 penalty shootout over Argentina gave the country their first major international honour, 99 years after they took part in the inaugural Copa.
Sanchez was key to Chile’s triumph even if he showed signs of wear and tear after a gruelling first season in the Premier League. The 26-year-old stroked in the winning penalty to send his nation into raptures and the forward believes that his country’s experience at Brazil 2014 prepared them for their Copa triumph.
"We talked about it in Brazil that we were going to win the Copa America," Sanchez said. "This is really a great generation, we deserve this."
Chile were one of the surprise packages of the 2014 World Cup, defeating Spain at the Maracanã before falling out to semi-finalists Brazil on penalties.
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His delight was echoed by Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal, who said: "It was the moment. We had to leave the negative history behind. This is dedicated to all Chileans.
"We had the experience from the World Cup. I told my team-mates that they [Argentina] would miss two penalties and we were going to win."
