Chile have twice come from behind to beat Ecuador 3-2 in their Copa América Group B match in Puerto Ordaz on Wednesday. Goals from Wigan striker Antonio Valencia and Christian Rogelio Benítez for Ecuador were cancelled out by two goals from Humberto Suazo and substitute Carlos Villanueva scoring for the late winner for Chile.

The game started at a slow pace, but it was Ecuador who managed to get into their rhythm the fastest, pushing the inexperienced Chileans further back as the half-progressed.

Chilean defender Jorge Francisco Vargas controversially gave a free-kick away in the 11th minute, after a minor brush with Christian Rogelio Benítez. Mendez took the free-kick, which hit striker Carlos Tenorio on the shin and almost trickled past the Chilean keeper Bravo and into the goal.

Antonio Valencia scored the opener for Ecuador in the 16th minute after Edison Méndez made a precision pass across field to Valencia, who ran 30-yards before finishing with a wonderful chip over Bravo in the Chile goal to make it 1-0.

The lead didn’t last long, as Chile equalised within five minutes of the opener. Humberto Suazo picked up the ball outside the Ecuador penalty area and, despite pressure from the Ecuador defence, managed to smash his shot home into the top-right corner from 20-yards past the helpless Christian Mora.

Despite having conceded a goal so soon after taking the lead, Ecuador managed to regain the lead in the 23rd minute with Wigan midfielder Christian Rogelio Benítez belting home a second just minutes later.

The half finished 2-1 to Ecuador in a highly entertaining Copa América encounter, with Chile lacking ideas.

The beginning of the second-half saw the same pressure from Ecuador, with Benítez and Valencia both causing major problems for the Chilean defenders, with their goalkeeper Claudio Bravo making some excellent saves to deny Ecuador.

Chile had a glorious chance to level the scores just after the half-hour mark, with Humberto Suazo breaking through the Ecuador defence and, with only the keeper to beat, Suazo decided to try and lob Mora rather than smashing the ball goalbound, with his shot going inches high of the crossbar, much to the relief of the Ecuador fans.

Mora was brought into action again in the 75th minute, with substitute Carlos Villanueva (who came on for Meléndez) shot forcing the keeper to dive low and parry and then did well to smother the ball before the onrushing Humberto Suazo could follow-up.

It was Suaza, by far the best Chilean player on the pitch on the night, who secured an equaliser with ten minutes to go, peeling away from his markers to smash his shot high into the net.

Peru, after having been the second best team throughout, now had their tails up, and forced a third goal late in the game.

A free-kick from 25-yards was taken by Villanueva, which was expertly placed into the top-right corner of the net, past the leaping Mora to make it 3-2 to Chile and take them to the top of Group B, for the meantime.

Teamsheets for Ecuador v Chile In Copa América 2007 Group B Match:

Ecuador Team: Cristian Rafael Mora, Oscar Dalmiro Bagui, Ulises De La Cruz, Giovanny Patricio Espinoza, Iván Hurtado, Segundo Castillo, Edison Méndez, Edwin Tenorio (Felipe Caicedo, 76), Antonio Valencia, Christian Rogelio Benítez, Carlos Tenorio.

Ecuador Substitutes Not Used: Marcelo Ramón Elizaga, Renan Calle, Jorge Guagua, Néicer Reasco Yano, Walter Ayovi, Pedro Angel Quiñónez, Mario David Quiroz, Patricio Javier Urrutia, Félix Borja, Pablo David Palacios.

Chile Team: Claudio Andrés Bravo, Pablo Contreras, Mark González, Alvaro Andrés Ormeño, Miguel Augusto Riffo (Matias Fernandez, 46), Jorge Francisco Vargas, Rodrigo Meléndez (Carlos Villanueva, 73), Arturo Sanhueza, Jorge Valdivia, Reinaldo Marcelinho Navia (Juan Gonzalo Lorca, 46), Humberto Suazo.

Chile Substitutes Not Used: Nicolás Peric, Ismael Fuentes, Gonzalo Jara, Sebastián Roco, Rodrigo Tello, José Luis Cabión, Gonzalo Antonio Fierro, Manuel Iturra.