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News > Sport

Large Celebrations As Peru Qualifies for FIFA World Cup After 36 Years

  • The Peruvian team became the last team to make it to the World Cup

    The Peruvian team became the last team to make it to the World Cup | Photo: Reuters

Published 16 November 2017
Opinion

The South American team defeated New Zealand 2-0 in a playoff match.

Peru's national soccer team has qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, marking their return to the international competition after 36 years.

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Peru defeated New Zealand 2-0 in the second playoff match held in Lima, Peru with goals made by Jefferson Farfan in the 27th minute and Christian Ramos in the 65th minute.

Last Friday, both teams tied 0-0 in the first match of the playoff held in Wellington, New Zealand.

The victory sparked mass celebrations by thousands of fans who attended the match played late last night in Lima's National Stadium as the team reached a 10-game winning streak, their longest in 75 years.

“This is a dream come true and now it's time to celebrate,” left-winger Christian Cueva told reporters as the players gave the known "lap of honor" around the field.

The Peruvian team will play its fifth FIFA World Cup in history, after playing in the first-ever tournament in Uruguay in 1930, Mexico in 1970, Argentina in 1978 and Spain in 1982.

 

Argentine-born Ricardo Gareca, Peru’s current coach, was known as the player who scored the goal that left Peru out of Mexico's 1986 World Cup. 

“We have managed something very important for the country. I am very emotional,” Gareca said.

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Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski declared Thursday as a national holiday for all public workers and optional for private companies, asking that Peruvians celebrate "with responsibility."

Final qualified teams are as follows.

Europe: Russia (host), Belgium, Denmark, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Iceland, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

South America: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay.

North and Central America: Costa Rica, Mexico and Panama.

Africa: Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia.

Asia: Australia, Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia and South Korea.

The draw for next year’s tournament will take place in Moscow on Dec. 1.

Thank you, Professor Ricardo Gareca! Go Peru.

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