Peru and Ecuador tied at one goal at the National Stadium in Lima. La Tri practically secured their ticket to Qatar 2022, while La Blanquirroja finished the day in playoff positions.
It was a great game, the best of the day in the hard-fought South American Qualifiers. Peru took possession of the ball, but in terms of dangerous attacks and opportunities created, the duel was even.
In fact, Ecuador quickly took the lead in the first half thanks to Michael Estrada, who received a luxury assist from Félix Torres. With that goal at 2′, La Tri was automatically qualifying for the World Cup.
However, Peru responded, and at least for one day, ruined Ecuador’s celebration .
Edison Flores, hero in the victory over Colombia, took the reins of Peru again and equalized the score with ′.
With the tie, La Blanquirroja was still unable to take fourth place from Uruguay, but it did extend the distance with Chile (6th) and Colombia (7th) by one more point.
No more goals. The draw was valuable for both teams on their way to Qatar 2022. Although the intensity never dropped, neither could do more damage to their rival. The marker was the fairest.
For Ecuador not to go to Qatar, a tragedy would have to occur. La Tri will be in the World Cup with just one point in one of its last two presentations, which will be against Paraguay (visit) and Argentina (local).
Peru is in fifth place, which grants the ticket to the playoffs. Sum 21 points, one less than Uruguay and two more than Chile. They will face Uruguay (visit) and Paraguay (local) in the final days of the South American Qualifiers.