Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez scored a late winning goal for Chile to help them defeat Ecuador 2-1 in their penultimate FIFA World Cup qualifier.

The Arsenal contract rebel  tapped in an 85th minute winning goal after Ecuador goalkeeper Banguera spilt a shot on the edge of the box straight to the waiting Arsenal forward.

The Chile international had earlier seen his team throw away the lead as Romario Ibarra scored the equalizer for Ecuador with just eight minutes left, but the 28-year-old was right on hand to win the match three minutes after.

The Copa America champions now climbed into third-position in the 10-team South American qualifying group with their victory on Thursday night.

The top four sides  qualify automatically for next summer’s World Cup in Russia with the fifth-placed team playing Oceania champions New Zealand in a double-legged play-off. With just a match left, Brazil National football team are the only South American team to have sealed their spot.

Chile Fans took to social media to hail Alexis Sanchez’s impact and compared his heroic performance in a Chile jersey to those regularly seen in the Arsenal Jersey at the Emirates Stadium.