Hudson happy with Peru
Coach believes unheralded Andean nation represents All Whites’ best chance of a World Cup playoff upset
All Whites coach Anthony Hudson is undaunted by the prospect of facing Peru next month and believes his team has a “serious chance” of progressing to the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Peru were confirmed as New Zealand’s opponents in the intercontinental playoff after a frantic final day of regional qualifying matches in South America.
Positions in the table changed on numerous occasions yesterday but at the end, Peru crept into fifth place ahead of Chile on goal difference, sparking wild celebrations in Lima.
Heading into yesterday’s matches, any one of five nations could have occupied that fifth spot — with Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Paraguay the other contenders — but Hudson admitted the Andean nation was one of his preferences. Argentina cemented an automatic qualifying spot with a 3-1 win in Ecuador thanks to a Lionel Messi hat-trick.
“Whoever we get, it’s a tough game, very tough, but out of all the teams we were looking at, certainly from my point of view, Peru was a team we would have liked to have played,” said Hudson.
“They are very highly ranked [and] they are there for a reason, but I just felt out of all of them, that was the team that would give us confidence going into the game.
“If we are stood here talking about Argentina, that is a big uphill battle.
“Now everyone has got to be positive. We know we can compete. We are at home in the first game and the players really believe. We have got a serious chance and we will be looking forward to it.”
Compared with Chile, Colombia and especially Argentina, Peru lack pedigree and profile.
They last qualified for a World Cup in 1982, and haven’t been a force on the world stage since the 1970s.
But they should not be underestimated.
Peru have enjoyed a strong second half of their qualifying campaign, losing just once in eight games over the 12 months, which has included two priceless away wins. They have A dramatic day of World Cup qualifying yesterday saw Argentina progress from a precarious position, Australia gain a tense extra time win over Syria and the United States eliminated in a major shock.
New Zealand interest centred on the final round of South American games, with the All Whites to face the confederation’s fifth-placed team.
Their potential opponents changed six times as results fluctuated, with a young team on the rise, which coach Ricardo Gareca has moulded into a cohesive unit.
New Zealand have never beaten South American opposition, with Peru, Colombia and Chile all sitting fifth during the afternoon. But Peru finished in that position after scoring a 74thminute goal to secure a 1-1 draw with Colombia put them ahead of Chile on goal difference, after La Roja crashed to a 3-0 defeat in Brazil.
Argentina started the day sixth and went behind after just 38 seconds in Ecuador but a superb Lionel Messi hattrick gave them a 3-1 win to secure their place. three draws and 11 losses against teams from that continent, but Hudson has faith his side can engineer an upset.
“For us to get there, we need to be
However, the US won’t be at the World Cup for the first time since 1986, after losing 2-1 in Trinidad and Tobago. That upset, combined with unlikely victories for Panama and Honduras, saw the US finish fifth in the North American standings.
Honduras beat Mexico 3-2 to set up a playoff with Australia, who progressed past Syria 2-1 thanks to a Tim Cahill extra time winner in Sydney on Tuesday night. — Michael Burgess at our very best, the biggest performance of the last three years. I believe we can deliver that. And if we can, we have got a chance.”
Hudson reiterated his preference for the home leg to be staged on Saturday, November 11, although the final date and time will be confirmed only after discussions between Fifa and the two national federations.
“[We] need to wait and see if the game is on a Friday or a Saturday,” said Hudson.
“I think [Saturday] is better for all involved and even for Peru — they would want that. But whatever happens, we can deal with the Friday night, and we can deal with the Saturday night.”
The playoff match will played on November 10 or 11, with the return leg likely to be on November 14 (November 15 NZT).