Peru confirmed a World Cup playoff spot after 2-0 win over Paraguay

Peru confirmed a World Cup playoff spot after 2-0 win over Paraguay.

Peru qualified for the World Cup playoffs with a 2-0 win over Paraguay on Tuesday, securing fifth place in the South American qualifying group.

Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, and Uruguay had already clinched the four automatic slots for South America.

For a berth in Qatar, Peru will play either the United Arab Emirates or Australia in the Asian confederation playoff on June 7 in Doha. Then, on June 13 or 14, the inter-confederation playoff will be held in Doha.

“Tonight’s game was a joy for the entire country, but we still have one more step to go,” Christian Cueva, a midfielder, remarked. “We’ll be focusing on the playoffs starting tomorrow.”

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Peru had to go through a playoff to qualify for the most recent World Cup in Russia, defeating New Zealand over two legs to reach the finals for the first time since 1982.

On Tuesday, the Andean team began the night with 21 points, one more than Colombia and two more than Chile. They knew that a win over Paraguay in the final qualifying round would secure a playoff berth.

After only four minutes, they took the lead as Gianluca Lapadula ran on to a Cueva defense-splitting pass and poked the ball in off the post.

Cueva was the architect again three minutes before halftime, as the score was 2-0. His work resulted in a cross outside the penalty box that Yoshimar Yotun completed.

The home side dominated the second half without creating more chances, content to finish the game and send the National Stadium’s capacity audience into raptures at the final whistle.

Ricardo Gareca’s team did not appear to be in contention for Qatar early in the group, winning only once in their first six games.

Between November 2021 and January this year, they won three straight games against Bolivia, Venezuela, and Colombia, putting them back in contention.

Renato Tapia, a defender, remarked, “We’re very thrilled. We fought so hard.” “We were in a tight spot, but we managed to get ourselves out of it.” Paraguay was a formidable opponent, but we prevailed.”