Más cerca de Qatar 2022. Este martes 29 de marzo, the Peruvian national team qualified for the World Cup playoffs after defeating Paraguay 2-0 and securing fifth place in the CONMEBOL qualifying table. Now, the next challenge for the team will be to face the winner of the match between Australia and the United Arab Emirates in the Asian playoff.
The oceanic nation is a familiar opponent for Peru, as both teams faced each other in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup, a match that the team led by Ricardo Gareca won 2-0. On the other hand, the Arab country's squad does not have a significant history of matches against the South American team, and its history in this part of the continent is almost unknown.
You can see: International press highlighted Peru's qualification for the playoffs and the elimination of Colombia and Chile.
For that reason, we will now review everything you need to know about Peru's potential next opponent in the Qatar 2022 playoffs.
The only precedent: the Kirin Cup
In 2005, Peru and the United Arab Emirates became the champions of the Kirin Cup after defeating the Japanese national team, the host of the tournament, and drawing 0-0 in the final match. This is the only history of confrontation between both squads.
On that occasion, a group of players eager to showcase themselves in the national team were chosen to participate in the tournament, under the technical command of coach Freddy Ternero.
Enrique Ísmodes against the United Arab Emirates in the Kirin Cup. Photo: AP
The coach is Argentine... and a Boca Juniors fan
Rodolfo Arruabarrena developed as a player in the youth divisions of his beloved club: Boca Juniors, the team with which he won the 2000 Copa Libertadores. After a successful stint at Spain's Villarreal and Chile's Universidad Católica, the Argentine footballer announced his retirement in 2010.
He studied technical direction at the Vicente López School, where he graduated alongside his compatriot Marcelo Gallardo. After completing his studies, he led Club Atlético Tigre, a team on the brink of relegation that achieved the runner-up position in the Argentine Clausura Tournament.
Rodolfo Arruabarrena coaching the United Arab Emirates national team. Photo: EFE
After the achievement with the blue team, the 'Vasco' had the opportunity to coach Boca Juniors, which he led from 2014 to 2016. After leaving the club, he began a prolific career in the sports direction of clubs in Saudi Arabia, becoming the coach of Qatar's Al Rayyan, Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai FC, and Egypt's Pyramids. In early 2022, he took over as the coach of the United Arab Emirates national team after the dismissal of Dutchman Bert van Marwijk, who coached Australia during the 2018 World Cup.
Star players
An interesting fact about the Emirati team is the inclusion of two players born in Brazil: forward Caio Canedo Correa and midfielder Fábio Virginio de Lima, who currently play for Al Ain and Al Wasl, respectively.
However, the player to watch out for is Ali Mabkhout, the current striker for Al Jazira and the top scorer for the United Arab Emirates team with 14 goals during the Qatar 2022 qualifying matches.
Ali Mabkhout in a match with his national team. Photo: AFP