Peru are one game away from back-to-back World Cup finals appearances following Tuesday s 2-0 win over Paraguay and head coach Ricardo Gareca lauded his side who seemed set to miss out six months ago.
La Blanquirroja clinched fifth spot in World Cup qualifying in CONMEBOL with the victory over Paraguay, finishing ahead of Colombia and Chile who were eliminated.
Peru s win means they will play the fifth-ranked team from the Asian Football Confederation, either Australia or UAE, who will meet in a one-off playoff in Doha in June. The inter-confederation playoff will also be played as a one-off in Doha on June 13 or 14.
Gareca s side seemed a long shot to claim fifth after back-to-back 1-0 losses to Bolivia and Argentina which left them second last in the standing…