Mauricio Isla fires Chile through as reigning champions are knocked out

Chile 1 v Uruguay 0

Tournament hosts set up a semi-final clash with either Bolivia or Peru after narrow victory in Santiago

Mauricio Isla was the unlikely hero for Chile as his late strike saw the tournament hosts edge out Uruguay 1-0 in Santiago, with the defending champions ending the match with nine men.

The opening Copa América quarter-final looked destined to go to penalties until Isla fired in his third, and surely most important, international goal with just under 10 minutes to play.

La Roja dominated throughout but struggled to break down  a resilient Uruguay side who were hampered by the dismissal of Edinson Cavani just after the hour mark.

Having already been booked in the first half for venting his disappointment at a decision to the referee's assistant, the striker caught Gonzala Jara in the face in an off-the-ball incident to leave the referee with no other choice but to show him another yellow card.

Jorge Fucile became the second Uruguay player to see red. His late tackle on Alexis Sánchez not only got him a second booking, it also led to both benches being cleared in the closing stages of a tempestuous clash.

Once order was restored, La Celeste manager Óscar Tabárez was also sent to the stands as the holders saw their reign come to a rather disappointing end.

Chile will go on to face the winner of Bolivia and Peru on Monday.

The opening 45 minutes in the capital - brutal at times with numerous challenges - was a half of few chances, with Uruguay happy to sit back and get players behind the ball.

It proved effective as Chile struggled to create anything clear-cut, with the hosts forced into strikes from distance.

Charles Aránguiz came close to breaking the deadlock in the 26th minute, though his shot was straight down the throat of Fernando Muslera, while the Uruguay goalkeeper also dealt with Arturo Vidal's long-range effort 11 minutes later.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with the home team dictating play without reward

However, Uruguay had an opportunity to take an unlikely lead from a set piece after the ball fell to the feet of forward Diego Rolán, who reacted quickest but was unable to generate enough power in his volley to trouble Claudio Bravo.

Despite Cavani receiving his marching orders, Uruguay engineered two good openings, while a Chile corner flashed across the six-yard box and eluded everyone.

It seemed a shoot-out would be required to settle the outcome until Isla was on hand to fire into the bottom corner of the net.

Tempers boiled over after Fucile’s late red, though little could spoil the party for Chile, who remain on course to lift the trophy for the first time.