The Manchester United man put a miserable club season behind him at Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova with a 51st-minute winner as Ecuador finished the game with 10 men, Gabriel Achilier seeing red a minute from time.

Chile continued where they had left off in their 4-0 win against Japan and took an eighth-minute lead through José Pedro Fuenzalida.

Ecuador failed to clear a corner and Fuenzalida was on hand to volley an angled shot in off the post from the edge of the penalty area.

Enner Valencia levelled from the spot midway through the first half after Chilean goalkeeper Gabriel Arias clattered into Édison Méndez.

Arias escaped caution on that occasion but went in Argentine referee Patricio Loustau's book when he was judged to have brought down Romaria Ibarra after a lengthy Video Assistant Referee review just before the break.

Charles Aránguiz set up Sánchez for his winner with a cross that left the winger unmarked eight yards out and he volleyed beyond the reaches of Ecuador keeper Alexander Domínguez.

Referee Loustau produced nine cards in a feisty encounter with Ecuador's Achilier seeing a straight red in the 89th minute for a rash tackle on Arturo Vidal.

Chile, who will face Uruguay at Rio de Janeiro's Maracanã on Monday (June 24) in a clash to decide the group winners, made it two wins from two, while Ecuador must beat Japan in Belo Horizonte to have any chance of progress after successive defeats.