Argentina back to winning ways, in what was a dominant display in their opening match of the 1989 Copa. The 4-1-3-2 formation with Maradona as a central forward and Caniggia in a wide position, proved very efficient for overloading the midfield, without always finding a way through the Chile defence. The goal came in the 2nd half after Caniggia was asked to play more in the middle. Maradona not at his best – was he tired, suffering in this formation, or saving it for later?
Line-up (4-1-3-2): Islas – Clausen (Basualdo 72′), Brown, Ruggeri, Sensini – Batista – Troglio, Burruchaga, Calderón – Caniggia (Alfaro Moreno 68′), Maradona (c). Unused subs: Falcioni, Cuciuffo, Gorosito.