European champions Spain set up a mouthwatering last-16 showdown with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal after seeing off ten-man Chile in a hard-fought encounter in Pretoria.
Chile, who had started the day with a three-point lead in Group H, surrendered top spot to the Spanish but still qualified for the knockout stages, where they will now face Brazil.
David Villa put Spain ahead with a long-range shot into an empty net after Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo had raced out of his area, and Andres Iniesta doubled his side’s lead towards the end of the first half.
An incident in the build-up to that Iniesta goal also resulted in Chile having a player sent off with midfielder Marco Estrada earning a second yellow card after clipping Fernando Torres’ heels. There looked little intent on Estrada’s part, but the second booking left Chile with a mountain to climb.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side pulled a goal back at the start of the second period through substitute Rodrigo Millar’s deflected effort, but it was not enough to remain on top of the group and they will now need to overcome the Brazilians if they are to continue their World Cup adventure.