Stoke-born Ben Brereton scores on first start for Chile in Copa America clash
Blackburn star Ben Brereton scored on his first start for Chile against Bolivia on Friday night – despite being born in Stoke.
Brereton, who racked up 43 appearances for Blackburn in the 2020/21 campaign, earned a shock call-up to the Chile squad last month after previously plying his trade for England's Under-19 and Under-20 sides.
He has been deemed eligible to play for the South American country because his mother was born there, and with an England cap clearly not on the cards it was a simple decision to accept manager Martin Lasarte's call up.
The 22-year-old striker made his full debut in their Copa America clash with Bolivia, starting alongside Eduardo Vargas and Jean Meneses in attack.
And just 10 minutes into that debut, Brereton couldn't believe his luck when he registered his first goal for the country.
The Championship player picked up a loose ball and raced through on goal, before cutting back inside the box and slotting it into the bottom-right corner to fire Chile in front.
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He was clearly overjoyed after breaking the deadlock at Brazil's Arena Pantanal, wheeling away in jubilation before being congratulated by his team-mates.
Brereton only earned his first cap for Chile on Monday, coming off the bench with just over 10 minutes of their 1-1 Copa America draw with Argentina remaining.
When asked what Chile's coaching staff told him before coming on against Argentina, the former England youth ace said: “They asked me to make runs in behind the defence and to hold the ball up and to make a nuisance (of myself).
“I felt that it was a great result.”
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Brereton has made 88 appearances for Blackburn since joining the club from Nottingham Forest in 2018, scoring nine goals.
The Stoke man started his career at Forest after emerging from their youth ranks in 2017, making his debut in a 2-0 defeat against Leeds.
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