Fists to the sky and gaze at infinity. ¡¡¡ Uruguay it’s in the world!!! They qualified a day earlier by beating Peru with a goal by Giorgian de Arrascaeta. There is a lot of celebration but also a lot of relief.
These South American Qualifiers were particularly complex. In the midst of the pandemic, they were postponed for seven months at the beginning, and they ended up being defined with twelve of the 18 games in half a year, in a hurry and without recovery time.
For Uruguay they were traumatic. After 15 years in office, in a decision as difficult as it was inevitable, the president of the Uruguayan Federation, Ignacio Alonso, promoted the departure of Maestro Tabárez as coach. It was a resolution with a huge dose of risk, because an elimination from the World Cup meant taking all the blame. But in life cowardly man does not conquer pretty woman.
These Qualifiers were also traumatic because they represented the last dance of the generation that reached the semifinals in South Africa 2010. For the Suárez, the Godín, the Cavani, the exit door is near, and they are no longer, nor perform, the same as before . They are still valuable, but they are not unbalanced like they used to be. The new coach, Diego Alonso, who took over to lead the sky blue in the last four games, also had to deal with this particular situation.
This was the transition Qualifier for Uruguay. Between the heroes who leave their battle clothes aside, and the young people forced to take center stage. But a transition to forceps, without taking any time for adaptations, because 12 games in 6 months don’t give away even a second to even think.
So, the new generation began to write their own history. Thus, Ronald Araujo, again as a right back, was a stronghold. He first controlled the skillful and fast Cristian Cueva, then he went on the attack in the first half with the conviction of a striker, and in the second half, when Peru had the ball and permanent attack, he was a bolt in the Uruguayan defense.
The azulgrana Araujo had a very good game against Peru
The madridista Fede Valverde, from less to more
Thus, Federico Valverde went from less to more, and when he was activated, he activated Uruguay. At the end of the first half, the first light blue chance was born from his feet, which led to a corner and ended with the only goal of the match, that of Giorgian De Arrascaeta. And at the beginning of the complement, one of his missiles, 40 meters long, hit the angle squarely.
Also, Uruguay found in Sergio Rochet a sure goalkeeper, to replace Fernando Muslera, who 13 years ago was the ‘1’ of the Uruguayan team.
In the first quarter of an hour, he had two heads up with the Italian-Peruvian Gianluca Lapadula, and decided to avoid the Peruvian opening. And at 93 minutes 48 seconds, his action prevented the visiting tie. A Trauco center became a poisoned shot. Rochet backed up on his steps and with his whole body inside the arc he stretched out his arms to stop the ball in mid-air at the very line. Half the ball went into the goal, but it was not enough. To be a goal, it must enter completely and the VAR was right despite all the Peruvian protests.
Uruguay began the game at a slow pace, Peru had the two aforementioned occasions, Giorgian De Arrascaeta, the kid from Nuevo Berlin, made the opening at the end of the initial time. The sky blue came out to kill in the complement, but could not increase, Peru grew again, and everything was a suffering in the Centennial in the last half hour.
That’s it. Anderson Daronco, the Brazilian, called the final whistle, and there is an explosion of joy in Montevideo.
The eldest, the Suárez, Godín, Cavani, Muslera and Martín Cáceres, were on the verge of playing their fourth World Cup. Young people, in some cases, such as Ronald Araujo, will have their world baptism in Qatar.
Nobody wanted to leave. Neither the people in the stands, nor the players on the pitch. The minutes are lengthened, and in that vain attempt to stop time, fans and soccer players seem confused in the same goal.
Life is not always fair, but here it has been. The South African generation, the one that reconciled the sky-blue soccer players with the stands after a rift that lasted more than three decades, did not deserve to close their history in the South American Qualifiers with an elimination.
They arrived in Qatar. They will play their last World Cup. They will try their best, as always they will leave their soul on the field. And then, to rest, that others will continue writing history.
DATA SHEET
1 – Uruguay: Serge Rochet; Ronald Araujo, Diego Godín, José María Giménez, Mathías Olivera; Facundo Pellistri (m.83, Damián Suárez), Federico Valverde, Rodrigo Bentancur, Giorgian de Arrascaeta (m.83, Maximiliano Gómez); Luis Suárez (m.75, Lucas Torreira) and Darwin Núñez (m.65, Edinson Cavani)
Coach: Diego Alonso
0 – Peru: Pedro Gallese; Luis Advíncula, Carlos Zambrano, Alexander Callens, Miguel Trauco; Sergio Peña (m.46, Edison Flores), Renato Tapia, Yosimar Yotún (m.60, Christofer Gonzáles); André Carrillo (m.63, Santiago Ormeño), Gianluca Lapadula (m.75, Alex Valera) and Christian Cueva (m.75, Horacio Calcaterra)
Coach: Ricardo Gareca
Goal: 1-0, Giorgian de Arrascaeta (m. 41)
Referee: The Brazilian Anderson Daronco admonished Facundo Pellistri
Incidents: Match corresponding to the penultimate day of the South American qualifiers for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, played at the Centenario stadium, in Montevideo
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