Underdogs Peru look to sniff out victory against Brazil
COPA AMÉRICA FINAL
Peru are going for one last upset in the Copa América. After a stunning run to its first final in more than four decades, Peru will try to pull off the biggest shock of the tournament against hosts Brazil on Sunday.
It would capare mar ka b le comeback for a team that barely survived the group stage but eventually eliminated favourite Uruguay in the quarter-final sand two-time defending champions Chile in the semi-finals.
Less than two weeks ago, Peru weren’t even in consideration. Now it has a chance to earn what would be one of its greatest victories.
“When you make it to the final, you have to try to win it. There’s no other option,” said Peru’s Ar
gentine coach Ricardo Gareca. “We reached the final thanks to our own merits. This group is very strong. I think that’s the key. It has the strength to overcome adversity.”
The team’s comeback followed a re-sounding 5-0 loss to Brazil in the group stage, a result that left Peru on the verge of elimination. It advanced as one of the two best third-place finishers from the three groups after a combination of favourable results in other matches.
Gareca said things are different now, and Peru are in a better position to try to defeat the host.
“We have the players to do it,” he said. “We are peaking right now. If I had to choose a time to make it to the final, it would be now. But we know that it will be difficult against Brazil no matter how we are playing.”
BRAZIL THE FAVOURITES
Brazil are considered the overwhelming favourites, but Peru don’t think of it that way.
“You can call them favorites if you want to,” veteran striker Paolo Guerrero said after the team’s 3-0 win over Chile on Wednesday. “But for us, there are no favourites on the field. We have to stay humble and do our job. There are a lot of people not showing respect for Peru right now. I have a lot of respect for Brazil, but I also respect my country.”
Peru have been enjoying one of its best decades in soccer, having made it to three Copa América semi-finals in the last four tournaments. They lost to eventual champions Uruguay in 2011 and Chile in 2015, finishing third both times.
In 2018, Peru made its first World Cup appearance in 36 ye ars, being eliminated in a group that included eventual champions France.
Most players from that squad are back, including Guerrero, who attracted headlines for being allowed to play in Russia after appealing a doping suspension. The 35-year-old striker scored the third goal against Chile on Wednesday to become the Copa América’s all-time leading scorer among active players with 13 goals.
In defence, the team has been carried forward by goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, who made an embarrassing mistake against Brazil but rebounded with strong performances. He stopped penalties by Brazil’s Gabriel Jesus in the group stage, by Uruguay’s Luis Suárez in a shootout in the quarter finals and by Eduardo Vargas in the semi-finals.
Peru will be seeking their third Copa América title, and first since 1975. Brazil are seeking a ninth Copa title, and first since 2007. It has won the tournament all four previous times it hosted the event, the last time in 1989.