Peru will try to qualify for the quarter-finals on Saturday America Cupbut to do so they will need a near miracle: beating the current champion Argentina and hoping that Canada does not defeat them. Chili in the other match of the last day of Group A.
Peru no longer depends on itself to continue in the competition after its defeat against Canada (1-0) on Tuesday in Kansas City and its draw in the first round against Chile (0-0).
The Inca team is thus facing an abyss that it has not known for some time: an early elimination in a tournament that it has won twice (1939 and 1975). The last time it was eliminated in the group stage was in Uruguay-1995, 11 editions ago.
The team led by Uruguayan Jorge Fossati will at least be lucky enough to play against an already classified Argentina in which numerous changes are expected, including that of Lionel Messi, injured in the right adductor against Chile on Tuesday.
“It is fair that the other boys who have not played in these two games play in the next match. I need to see them and they deserve it.” commented the Argentine coach, Lionel Scaloni, after the albiceleste 1-0 victory against Chile.
The world champion has so far lived up to her favorite status with two wins in two games. And despite the absence of Messi and other starters, she has plenty of talent, including promises like Alejandro Garnacho and Valentín Carboni, to dominate Peru at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami (Florida).
The Albiceleste will not, however, have Scaloni on the bench, as he was sanctioned by Conmebol because his team returned to the field late after the break against Chile.
“We know it is complicated”
If they want to achieve the feat, the Bicolor will have to avoid mistakes such as the expulsion of center back Miguel Araujo against Canada and will have to find the goal again.
Fossati’s team dominated its North American counterpart on Tuesday, but was unable to score and has yet to score in this edition of the Copa América. A deficit that, if repeated against Argentina, will be synonymous with elimination.
“We have one more game, we know it is complicated, but we have to face it with the same hope, the same attitude” said winger Andrés Carrillo after the defeat against the Canadians.
Peru’s fate will also depend on the result of Chile-Canada, which will be played at the same time as Argentina-Peru (8:00 p.m. local time, 12:00 a.m. GMT on Sunday), at the Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, also in Florida.
Take out the calculator
In the event of a Peruvian victory against Argentina, only a draw between Chile and Canada would one hundred percent guarantee Bicolor’s passage to the quarterfinals.
A victory for the North American team would eliminate Peru, regardless of their result against Argentina.
But if Chile wins, they would be equal on points with the Peruvians and the tiebreaker between both teams would be based on goal difference, in the first place, or by other criteria established by the competition, such as the number of goals in favor or even the number Of cards.
In this regard, the red card received by Araujo on Tuesday could be decisive.
An early exit would deepen Peru’s crisis, which occupies last place in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup with just two points from six games.
Fossati, who took over as coach in January, was nevertheless optimistic about his team, regardless of their result in the United States.
“The future” could be “auspicious,” he said after the match against Canada. “We always said the same thing: there was a parallel objective (to this Copa América) which was to put out a very strong team for the rest of the qualifying rounds.”
Probable lineups
Peru: Pedro Gallese – Andy Polo, Carlos Zambrano, Alexander Callens – Christian Cueva, Sergio Peña, Wilder Cartagena, Piero Quispe, Marcos López – Edison Flores and Gianluca Lapadula. DT: Jorge Fossati.
Argentina: Emiliano Martínez – Gonzalo Montiel, Nicolás Otamendi, Lisandro Martínez, Nicolás Tagliafico – Exequiel Palacios, Leandro Paredes, Enzo Férnandez – Angel Di María, Lautaro Martínez, Alejandro Garnacho. DT: Pablo Aimar.
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Source: Gestion
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