Fifa – If the story of Argentina’s meetings with Peru in FIFA World Cup™ qualifiers is scripted, then whoever is writing it enjoys playing with people’s emotions, as the fans in both countries can attest. And it is a story that keeps on running; this Thursday, and for the fourth time in their history, the two nations will face off in a virtual World Cup qualification decider.
Played at Boca Juniors’ home ground of La Bombonera in 1969, the very first of these four meetings was the launchpad for the finest generation of players Peru has ever produced, who ensured Argentina’s one and only world finals qualifying failure to date.
The next two, played out at River Plate’s Estadio Monumental, were unique in that they both decided the World Cup qualification hopes of two Argentinians giants of the game: Diego Maradona in the Mexico 1986 campaign, and Lionel Messi – with Maradona in the dugout – on the road to South Africa 2010.
Thursday evening’s showdown at La Bombonera will be Messi’s first ever official match at the stadium. Will it end with him smiling, just as he and Maradona did in 2009 and 1985 respectively, or will Peru deny Argentina just as they did 38 years ago?
Past crucial World Cup qualifiers
- 31 August 1969: Argentina 2-2 Peru (Peru qualify for Mexico 1970, Argentina eliminated)
- 30 June 1985: Argentina 2-2 Peru (Argentina qualify for Mexico 1986, Peru go on to the play-offs, where they lose to Chile)
- 11 October 2009: Argentina 2-1 Peru (Argentina score in the third minute of stoppage time to qualify and avoid the play-offs)
