After his group’s slender 1-0 defeat to Argentina within the FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday evening, Peru captain Paolo Guerrero lashed out the match referee for handing particular therapy to his celebrity counterpart, Lionel Messi.
The 40-year-old Guerrero lamented that Messi was receving preferential benefit from the referees as a number of fouls in opposition to the Peruvian gamers went below the radar.
“It’s onerous when the referee circumstances you. They have been pushing us, and no fouls have been referred to as. However you contact Messi with a finger, and it’s all the time a foul,” a fuming Guerrero instructed Movistar Deportes.
“Nobody says something as a result of it’s Messi, proper? Any little contact, any contact, and it’s a foul. In the meantime, they pushed us, and nothing was referred to as. It’s powerful as a result of it modifications the move of the sport. Most of their probabilities got here from set items,” Guerrero added.
Whereas Messi arrange the successful aim for Argentina with a record-equalling 58th worldwide help, Guerrero felt a number of selections went in favour of the hosts, including that his group matched as much as the world champions on physicality.
The defeat left Peru on the backside of 2026 FIFA World Cup South American qualifier standings, with 6 factors separating them from the playoff spot and 10 factors from direct qualification.
“I don’t assume we’re out but; we nonetheless have an opportunity. Something can occur. Peru has come again from troublesome conditions earlier than, when everybody wrote us off. We’re going to maintain combating. I imagine in my teammates, in my jersey, and in my nation. We simply have to offer all the pieces we’ve received,” Guerrero stated.
