No shaky legs, no big mistakes to regret. Perú beat Paraguay 2-0 and secured fifth place in CONMBEBOL qualifiers on Tuesday night, earning the ticket for an intercontinental World Cup playoff against Australia or the United Arab Emirates.
Perú and Paraguay Highlights
Perú just needed five minutes to take away the pressure thanks to Italian-born Gianluca Lapadula. El Bambino finished gracefully an exquisite assist from Christian Cueva and started the celebrations accross the whole nation.
Just 5 minutes in and @SeleccionPeru is already ahead! #ArribaPerú #CONMEBOL #PERvPAR pic.twitter.com/ZlrJfTHgol
— fuboTV (@fuboTV) March 29, 2022
Before the end of the first half, Yoshimar Yotún — with a rare contortion — put the second on the scoreboard and unleashed the party.
.@SeleccionPeru wants this win!! They make it 2-0 right before halftime! #ArribaPerú #CONMEBOL #PERvPAR pic.twitter.com/SlxUrEsRiN
— fuboTV (@fuboTV) March 30, 2022
It didn't matter that Colombia was leading over Venezuela (1-0 win) or that Chile's golden generation was having a sad funeral at home (2-0 loss) against Uruguay, ironically with a chilena (the Spanish word for a bicycle kick) from Luis Suárez as the last shovel of dirt over the coffin.
Suarez being Suarez
— fuboTV (@fuboTV) March 30, 2022
After the ref blew the whistle, the Peruvian players brought joy and hugs to the field, except for Wilder Cartagena and Lapadula, who missed a big chunk of the celebrarions after being picked for the routine doping control.
Celebrations can begin! Peru HAD to win & is heading to the playoff spot for their chance to go to the World Cup #PERvPAR pic.twitter.com/AD3XNVPsfZ
— fuboTV (@fuboTV) March 30, 2022
Wilder Cartagena y Gianluca Lapadula se perdieron la celebración peruana por estar en la prueba de doping . pic.twitter.com/7EyI9Y66z6
— Fanáticos del Fútbol - Perú (@fanaticospe) March 30, 2022
When is the Perú playoff game vs. Australia or the UAE?
Perú's path to the World Cup is not over yet. The CONMEBOL country will now have to face an inter-confederation playoff against an AFC nation. And the possibilities are two: Australia or the United Arab Emirates, who play on June 7.
The intercontinental playoff will be held in the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Qatar, on June 13 at 2 p.m. ET.
In case of winning that game, Perú will join Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Ecuador, the CONMEBOL teams that qualified directly for the 2022 World Cup.