Sao Paulo, July 4 (IANS): Peru stunned defending champions Chile 3-0 in the semifinals of the Copa America to set up a summit clash date with Brazil.
On Wednesday, Peru notched up the convincing win thanks to goals from Edison Flores, Yoshimar Yotun and Paolo Guerrero, and their reward will be a rematch against host team Brazil in the final, reports Xinhua news agency.
Peru took the lead in the 21st minute when Flores seized his chance inside the box and struck home. A goal by Yotun in the 38th minute made it 2-0 for the Peruvians. Veteran striker Guerrero then hit the third goal in injury time to wrap up the victory.
Peru were thrashed 0-5 by Brazil in their last group match, but they became a rejuvenated team after the humbling defeat, edging past Uruguay with a 5-4 penalty shoot-out win in the quarterfinals before sending Chile packing.
The stunning victory stopped Chile’s golden generation from challenging for a third straight title, following their triumphs over Argentina in 2015 and 2016 finals.
Peru will face Brazil in the final in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium on Sunday while Chile will play against Argentina for the third place in Sao Paulo on Saturday.
