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Argentina follow up Olympic gold medal with Peru win
Argentina followed up last week's Olympic gold medal by beating Peru 3-1 away in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday. Mauro Rosales and Fabricio Coloccini, who were both part of the Olympic squad that beat Paraguay 1-0 in the Athens final, scored the first two goals before substitute Juan Pablo Sorin secured the points in a match marred by two dismissals. Jorge Soto had put Peru back on level terms early in the second half but could not prevent their fifth successive defeat against Argentina. Argentine midfielder Cristian Gonzalez and Peru striker Flavio Maestri were dismissed in first-half injury time for a penalty area clash which produced a pushing match involving most of the players. Maestri had been on the pitch for only 18 minutes after replacing the injured Andres Mendonza. Peru, who hosted the Copa America in July, were also knocked out of that competition when they lost to Argentina in the quarter-finals and their Brazilian coach Paulo Autuori is not expected the survive their latest failure. They have nine points from eight games in the South American qualifying group and their chances of reaching their first World Cup since 1982 are looking increasingly remote, especially as they have won only one of five home games. Attack minded Argentina went top of the ten-nation group with 15 points, two ahead of Brazil, who play Bolivia at home on Sunday. With eight gold medallists in their starting line-up plus coach Marcelo Bielsa on the touchline, Argentina went straight on the attack and sliced through the Peru defence with some slick passing moves. Carlos Tevez had an early shot parried away by Oscar Ibanez before Rosales fired the visitors in front in the 14th minute with his first international goal. Rosales, 23, was set free on the right by Cesar Delgado and scored with an angled shot from the edge of the penalty area. Delgado and Tevez both went close with shots from the edge of the area as Argentina continued to menace the Peru rearguard while Nolberto Solano was close from a free kick at the other end. Peru found some rhythm after halftime and equalized in the 62nd minute when Soto swept in from 12 metres after Jefferson Farfan broke down the right and pulled the ball back. But Coloccini put Argentine back in front four minutes later when he out-jumped his marker at the far post to head in a Tevez free kick. Coloccini was lucky to be on the pitch at the stage, having escaped a red card two minutes earlier when he hacked down Farfan and then kicked him in the back as he lay on the ground. Brazilian referee Carlos Eugenio Simon let him off with a yellow card. Peru ran out of steam and conceded a third in injury time after Walter Vilchez was dispossed by Delgado, who found Sorin at the far post. Sorin controlled the ball, cut inside John Galliquio and slipped the ball into the net. |
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