Peru capped its 2018 World Cup campaign with a bang as it eliminated Australia via a 2-0 triumph in their Group C campaign on Tuesday at Fisht Olympic Stadium.
Andre Carrillo ended Peru's 36-year goal drought with a volley in the 18th minute before Paolo Guerrero ended their scoring with another tally in the 50th minute. However, it was not enough to power the squad into the knockout stage.
Carrillo's goal was Peru's first World Cup goal since Guillermo La Rosa scored in their 5-1 loss to Poland at the 1982 finals in Spain. The Peruvians also notched their first World Cup win since beating Iran, 4-1, at the 1978 finals in Argentina.
Peru ended its World Cup stint with three points. The loss dropped Australia out of the World Cup with just one point to show from a draw with Denmark.
From Group C, France and Denmark advanced with seven and five points, respectively. In the knockout stage, France will next take on Argentina while Denmark will tackle Group D winner Croatia.
Bitter Loss For Australia
It was a bitter loss for Australia, which started aggressively but it failed to find the back of the net. Captain Mile Jedinak had a chance to put Australia on the board, but his attempt grazed the bar in the fifth minute.
Australia then committed a defensive error that allowed Guerrero to sneak in a pass that set up Carrillo's goal in the 18th minute. In the 27th minute, the Australians had a chance to tie the game, but midfielder Tom Rogic's attempt was blocked. In the 36th minute, the Australians had another scoring chance, but Peru's defense prevented Mathew Leckie from scoring the game-tying goal.
In the 50th minute, Guerrero made it a two-goal lead after Jedinak's deflection dropped the ball in his path. Then, Guerrero's shot bounced off Mark Milligan and into the net for a 2-0 advantage.
The Australians inserted veteran scorer Tim Cahill in the second half in an attempt to rally from a two-goal hole. However, the 38-year-old striker's volley try was blocked by a Peruvian defender.
Peruvian Manager Lauds Players' Effort
Ricardo Gareca, Peru's manager, lauds his players for their effort against Australia. According to Gareca, his players' persistence paid off in enabling the team to return to winning ways after two losses.
After being shut out for the third straight game, Australia head coach Bert van Marwijk blames the team's lack of scorers for their World Cup debacle. Australia's third loss also dropped the team to last place in its group for the second straight World Cup.
With their World Cup campaign over, Australia's assistant coach Graham Arnold is expected to take over van Marwijk's head coaching job.
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