The 2-1 defeat against Chile left a bittersweet taste in the Peruvian fans. A great tournament has been played and the match in Santiago was an excellent example: even with 10 men for 70 minutes, the Peruvian team played a great game and, at times, had the local team against the ropes. The satisfaction on that side is great, although the Peruvian media still reproach the attitude of Carlos Zambrano, who left the team with ten men and with the doubt of what would have happened if they had all their weapons.
The third place is not seen only as a consolation prize by Gareca and the players, but also as a possible recognition to a team that has played well and promises to do better. "Peru will go out to seek the highest, which is the third place, against a dangerous opponent, beyond the thrashing," said the Argentine, referring to the Paraguayans' defeat against Argentina in the semifinals. "It will be a complicated game despite the absences," he added, referring to the injuries of Santa Cruz and González, who will miss the Friday match.
The Peruvian national team is already in Concepción, where they will seek to repeat the third place achieved in 2011 in Argentina against Venezuela, a match in which Paolo Guerrero was crowned as top scorer of the competition. The Peruvian forward – who has three goals, only one less than the current top scorer Eduardo Vargas - will also seek to repeat that achievement against Paraguay.
Gareca will not have the suspended Carlos Zambrano and everything indicates that Jefferson Farfán, who has not trained with the group due to an ankle sprain, will not be able to play either. It is most likely that Pizarro will replace him in what will surely be the captain's last match in the Copa América, since, at 36 years old, the Bayern player is nearing the end of his international career.
Check the schedule of matches day by day on AS, all the results of the matches (both in the group stage and in the final stage), as well as the latest news, the best photo galleries, and the videos (goals, match summaries, technical details, great plays, Menotti's analysis...) of the Copa América 2015.