Peru shock Uruguay on penalties to reach semis

Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese saved Luis Suarez's spot-kick as Peru beat Uruguay on penalties on Saturday to reach the Copa America semi-finals, where they will face Chile.

Edison Flores scored the decisive penalty as Peru, who were thrashed 5-0 by Brazil in their previous match, qualified for the semi-finals for the third time in the last four editions of the Copa.

It was a remarkable turnaround for Gallese, who was the villain of that thumping by the hosts, gifting Brazil their second goal by clearing the ball straight to Roberto Firmino, while he was also partially at fault for the first and third scores.

But in Salvador he guessed the right way for the first shoot-out penalty to deny Barcelona forward Suarez, after which Peru's own penalty-takers were faultless.

“I'm very proud of our team, I can't really put it into words,” said Peru captain Paolo Guerrero.

“A lot of people said we don't have the fortitude and guts. But we showed today on the pitch that we could take them on head-on.

“Peru has hunger, Peru is a warrior, Peru has guts.”

It was the third Copa quarter-final to finish goalless and head to penalties after Uruguay had three goals ruled out for offside during normal time.

Giorgian de Arrascaeta, Edinson Cavani and Suarez had all put the ball in the net, only to be denied by a linesman's flag.

“It's a bitter and sad feeling. We had high hopes to qualify, but simply couldn't,” said Uruguay's captain Diego Godin.

“We lacked a goal. We tried, we looked for it... (But) three were disallowed.”

Brazil beat Paraguay on spot-kicks on Thursday and champions Chile did likewise to knock-out Colombia on Friday.

In the only match to feature any goals, Argentina defeated Venezuela 2-0 on Friday.

Peru will face Chile in the second semi-final in Porto Alegre on Wednesday, a day after hosts Brazil take on Argentina in Belo Horizonte.

Copa winners in 1939 and 1975, Peru lost to Chile in the semi-finals four years ago.

After a slow opening, Uruguay burst into life on 15 minutes when Federico Valverde surged onto a loose Peru pass in their own half and picked out an unmarked Luis Suarez on the penalty spot, but the Barcelona forward couldn't keep down his header. Two minutes later Nahitan Nandez broke into the box from the flank but his shot was blocked by a sliding defender.

In pouring rain, Uruguay looked set to take the lead on 24 minutes with a rapier counter-attack, but Cavani ballooned the ball into the sky from six yards after Gallese parried Suarez's shot, although it wouldn't have counted as the Barcelona forward was retroactively deemed offside when he received the ball.

 

Peru shock Uruguay on penalties to reach semis

Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese saved Luis Suarezs spot-kick as Peru beat Uruguay on penalties on Saturday to reach the Copa America semi-finals, where they will face Chile. Edison Flores scored the decisive penalty as Peru, who were thrashed 5-0 by Brazil in their previous match, qualified for the semi-finals for the third time in the last four editions of the Copa. It was a remarkable turnaround for Gallese, who was the villain of that thumping by the hosts, gifting Brazil their second goal by clearing the ball straight to Roberto Firmino, while he was also partially at fault for the first and third scores. But in Salvador he guessed the right way for the first shoot-out penalty to deny Barcelona forward Suarez, after which Perus own penalty-takers were faultless. Im very proud of our team, I cant really put it into words, said Peru captain Paolo Guerrero. A lot of people said we dont have the fortitude and guts. But we showed today on the pitch that we could take them on head-on. Peru has hunger, Peru is a warrior, Peru has guts. It was the third Copa quarter-final to finish goalless and head to penalties after Uruguay had three goals ruled out for offside during normal time. Giorgian de Arrascaeta, Edinson Cavani and Suarez had all put the ball in the net, only to be denied by a linesmans flag. Its a bitter and sad feeling. We had high hopes to qualify, but simply couldnt, said Uruguays captain Diego Godin. We lacked a goal. We tried, we looked for it... (But) three were disallowed. Brazil beat Paraguay on spot-kicks on Thursday and champions Chile did likewise to knock-out Colombia on Friday. In the only match to feature any goals, Argentina defeated Venezuela 2-0 on Friday. Peru will face Chile in the second semi-final in Porto Alegre on Wednesday, a day after hosts Brazil take on Argentina in Belo Horizonte. Copa winners in 1939 and 1975, Peru lost to Chile in the semi-finals four years ago. After a slow opening, Uruguay burst into life on 15 minutes when Federico Valverde surged onto a loose Peru pass in their own half and picked out an unmarked Luis Suarez on the penalty spot, but the Barcelona forward couldnt keep down his header. Two minutes later Nahitan Nandez broke into the box from the flank but his shot was blocked by a sliding defender. In pouring rain, Uruguay looked set to take the lead on 24 minutes with a rapier counter-attack, but Cavani ballooned the ball into the sky from six yards after Gallese parried Suarezs shot, although it wouldnt have counted as the Barcelona forward was retroactively deemed offside when he received the ball.