'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Peru fought back from a goal down to beat a lacklustre Bolivia 3-1 at the Maracana.
Los Incas now climb up to second in the table with four points - level with hosts and favourites Brazil, but a position adrift courtesy to a marginally inferior goal-difference.
A controversial handball decision paved the way for the Greens to open the account for the evening from the spot as Marcelo Martins dispatched a penalty just before the half-hour mark.
Peru clawed their way back into the game after old guards Paolo Guerrero and Jefferson Farfan scored on either side of the halves, while substitute Edison Flores delicately chipped deep into the extra-time to ice the cake.
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Here are the three observations from the match:
#1 Peru's veteran forwards deliver once again
A very interesting aspect about this Blanquirroja side is their reliance on the aged legs of Paolo Guerrero and Jefferson Farfan, who're 35 and 34 respectively!
Any side harbouring serious hopes of contending in a competition like this wouldn't even imagine the prospect of fielding not one but two players on the wrong end of the Ol' Father Time. Not on your nelly. But unless it's Peru, who continue to pin their faith on them, and the veteran forwards indeed delivered here.
Skipper Guerrero equalised for his side at the stroke of half-time with a delicate finish into an empty net after rounding Bolivia's goalkeeper Carlos Lampe and then turned provider for Farfan in the second stanza.
The Lokomotiv Moscow man beat his markers to the ball to head home from close range and put the Peruvians in the lead. And in the dying embers, it was his turn to become the provider as he laid off for substitute Edison Flores to finish the job.
So that's a goal and an assist each for Guerrero and Farfan - who combined to spark life into Peru's campaign. This synergy between the old guards hold Los Incas in good stead, and can together take this team to dizzying heights in this tournament.
#2 Bolivia's woes continue
The Greens are the lowest ranked side in the tournament. And just a cursory glance over the performance turned in over the course of 180 minutes in this competition is enough to understand the same.
With nary any creativity or imagination upfront, crowding up the defensive half and staying content on the back-foot is the side's roaring credo.
While this may help them win some brownie points by the critiques for pushing the opponents against the bus for a transient spell, it hasn't so far yielded any actual points.
For all of Bolivia's obdurate defending in the first 45 minutes, they have a tendency to fold after the break and ship in goals - five of the six strikes they have conceded so far have come in the second stanza, including two in this game.
Also, the defeat was Bolivia's fifth in a row while the winless run now extends to 10 - having not seen the light of the day since last October's friendly win over Myanmar. Such is the dire state of this team right now.
And the back-to-back losses to Brazil and now Peru has also all but squished hopes of progressing beyond the group stage.
#1 Group A is blown wide open
Not only have Peru bolstered hopes of a place in the quarter-finals with this emphatic win, but Venezuela is also seeing a silver lining in the skies after a hard-fought goalless draw to Brazil later on in the night.
With not one but three goals by the Canaries ruled out by the VAR, Philippe Coutinho and co. are hard-pressed not to have secured a victory that would have sealed a passage to the last eight.
Instead, we now have a three horse race going into the final round of games with Brazil, Peru and Venezuela all vying for quarter-final spots.
The Canaries take on the Reds in the final group game, whereas Bolivia and Venezuela lock horns in the other. So on paper, the Peruvians are left with a difficult prospect to negotiate with, as a loss coupled with a win for the Vinotinto would put them in jeopardy.
Heck, even a stalemate would not be enough to put Ricardo Gareca's side through if Venezuela win by a margin of three goals or more. Or at least, the chances would not be in their own hands as then they'd require a team from other groups with an inferior goal-difference to go through.
Same goes with Venezuela if they're unable to win and eventually finish third. So we really have an enticing conclusion brewing for this group!
