Chile supporters got their first look at Ben Brereton as the Rovers attacker made his debut at the third attempt for La Roja.

Brereton was introduced for the final 13 minutes of their Copa America opener with Argentina, less than two weeks on from their World Cup qualifying draw.

It was a third successive 1-1 draw for Chile, having also been held by Bolivia in their other World Cup qualifier, as they started their Copa America campaign with a hard-fought point against Argentina.

They had to come from behind, Lionel Messi opening the scoring just after the half hour mark with a free kick, before Eduardo Vargas levelled things up 12 minutes into the second half, tucking home the rebound with Arturo Vidal having seen his penalty saved.

Brereton was trending on Twitter as the No.1 topic in Chile after he replaced Carlos Palacios in the 77th minute.

La Roja fans had been keen to see the Rovers attacker in action ever since he was handed a call-up for the World Cup double-header, but he was an unused sub in both of the 1-1 draws.

With star man Alexis Sanchez sidelined through injury, it offered a bigger chance of Brereton featuring, with boss Martin Lasarte handing him that opportunities for the final stages.

Chile will fancy their chances of making it through the group stages, with four teams from the five-man group making it through to the quarter-finals.

They face Bolivia for a second time on Friday, before games against Uruguay (June 21) and current group leaders Paraguay (June 25).

Brereton was called up to the squad after pledging his allegiance to the country of his mother’s birth earlier this month.

He will now look to add to his caps in the upcoming games, and his impact off the bench impressed the Chilean public who are keen to see more of the 22-year-old in action.

After making his debut, Brereton posted on social media site Instagram: “A proud moment and a huge honour to make my La Roja debut in the Copa America. Vamos La Roja.”

Messi meanwhile will hope to lead Argentina to Copa America triumph, having finished as runners-up in both 2015 and 2016. The tournament was moved to Brazil at late notice, owing to growing coronavirus concerns in Argentina.

And Messi was critical of the playing surface when speaking after the match.

He said: “When we were in advantage we could not sustain the result, the playing field did not help us and we lacked control of the ball and to play faster, which they did when they managed to draw level. I did not see the penalty, but clearly it changed the game.”