Chile, despite making their maiden appearance in the competition, gave the Speedy Tigers a torrid time and even took the lead twice before Norsyafiq Sumantri ensured victory in the 41st minute.
Malaysia, currently ranked No 11, started the match on a positive note and came close to taking the lead in the second minute but Firhan Ashaari’s shot went wide.
However, despite the early scare, Chile, ranked 22nd in the world, shocked coach A Arul Selvaraj and his boys by taking the lead in the 19th minute through Juan Amoroso’s penalty corner.
Six minutes later, Malaysia drew level through their very own penalty corner specialist as Razie Rahim equalised in the 25th minute.
But Martin Rodriguez restored Chile’s lead when he finished a quick counterattack in the 28th minute.
Stunned by the second goal, the Speedy Tigers showed more urgency in the second half and scored a well-worked goal in the 40th minute to once again draw level through Ashran Hamsani.
That seemed to have restored confidence in the Speedy Tigers and just a minute later, Norsyafiq ensured all three points for Malaysia from another penalty corner.
Coach Arul Selvaraj said the win was important to reignite their World Cup campaign, especially after the 4-0 defeat to three-time champions Holland in their first group match on Saturday.
He was also happy with the level of discipline and commitment showed by his boys to stage a comeback against Chile.
“This afternoon we will carry out a recovery session and analyse today’s match before calling it a day. Tomorrow we will leave for Bhubaneswar and undergo a training session and finalise our tactical approach before facing New Zealand,” he said after the match.
Malaysia are scheduled to face New Zealand in their final Group C match on Thursday at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
Both Malaysia and New Zealand have three points respectively after having played two matches each while Holland are top with six points after winning both their matches with identical 4-0 scores.
The winner of the group automatically qualifies for the quarterfinals while the second and third placed teams play against Group D teams (England, India, Spain and Wales) in a knockout format to make the last eight.