All you need to know about Socceroos play-off rivals Peru
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For the second straight qualifying campaign, Australia’s World Cup fate is close to an intercontinental play-off as the Socceroos will desperately try to avoid their first World Cup qualifying failure since 2002.
The Australians overcame the disappointment of their first AFC qualifier on Wednesday (AEST) with a hard-fought 2-1 win over the United Arab Emirates.
Ranked number 22 in the world, Peru are now the only team standing in the way of a ticket to Qatar, as a fearsome play-off awaits them in the early hours of June 14 (AEST) in Doha.
The winner of the match will book a place in Group D alongside France, Denmark and Tunisia, in a near-identical scenario to Group C in 2018 which included the top two teams, as well as Peru and the Socceroos .
Both nations have suffered a tumultuous qualifying campaign so far, with both narrowly missing out on automatic qualification in their respective confederations.
Unlike the Socceroos, Peru were on the back foot at the start of CONMEBOL’s lengthy 18-game qualifying system, as they were winless in their first seven games.
Early defeats against Brazil and Colombia particularly concerned long-serving manager Ricardo Gareca, but the Peruvians stabilized with a three-game winning streak towards the end of the qualifying phase.
Late stumbles for eventual qualifiers Uruguay and Ecuador broke La Blanquirroja’s chances of automatic qualification, but their seven wins throughout the campaign proved enough to beat Colombia and Chile in the play-off.
The fine form of Christian Cueva, along with forwards André Carrillo and Gianluca Lapadula, ensured the Peruvians were on target throughout the campaign, with the trio accounting for more than half of their 19-goal tally.
Celta de Vigo midfielder Renato Tapia has also proved a major force in the Peruvian ranks, as his authoritative presence and composure in the middle of the park have often been the starting point for the team’s creativity. in the last third.
Australia’s only official game against the South Americans was memorably the final game of the 2018 group stage in Russia, as emphatic finishes from Carillo and Peru’s all-time top scorer Paolo Guerrero were sealed the Socceroos’ fate of going out in the group stage for a third straight World Cup with a 2-0 defeat.
However, Socceroos coach Graham Arnold is confident his side’s fighting ability will be able to match Peru’s attacking flair this time around.
“That’s what I told the boys…about Australian DNA,” Arnold said after the UAE game.
“And that’s fighting, scratching and doing whatever you have to do to win the game. However, we earn it, who cares? Earn it.
The Socceroos also hold a significant height advantage over their opponents, which Arnold will no doubt hope will topple the Peruvians’ attacking threat.
However, striker Lapadula has other ideas on how Peru can match the Socceroos physically despite the height difference.
“I only believe in hard work because you will always succeed at work, so I always prepare myself,” Lapadula said.
“Now I only have the responsibility to fulfill my dream of qualifying for the World Cup.”