Gallant Gallese Helps Vanquish Venezuela

 Venezuela are the lowest scorers in the CONCACAF section, but started brightly at Estadio Olímpico de la UCV.

 However, Ricardo Gareca’s side broke the deadlock on 18 minutes when André Carrillo delivered an inviting cross to the back post for the mask-wearing Gianluca Lapadula to nod home his 10th goal for club and country this season.

 ‘La Vinotinto’ weren’t downhearted by that body blow, but Fernando Aristeguieta will feel he should have done better than to head straight into the arms of Gallese midway through the first half. 

Luis González then threaded a lovely through-ball to Savarino, only for the Atlético Mineiro man to blaze horribly off target.

 Shortly after the break, though, the hosts got a deserved equaliser as Ronald Hernández whipped in a cross from the right that took a fatal bounce from a Peru perspective, with Darwin Machís steaming in to slot home confidently. 

The leveller saw the game open up massively as González wastefully chipped over after streaking clear before Luis Abram almost put Peru back in front with a crisp strike which cannoned off Wuilker Fariñez’s left-hand post.

 Christofer Gonzáles couldn’t convert after Christian Cueva had slipped him in, but Cueva - who scored the winner in the reverse fixture - was on hand to score his fifth goal of the qualifying campaign when his free-kick was inadvertently directed past Fariñez via the head of Aristeguieta. 

 Venezuela had the chance to immediately restore parity when a penalty was awarded after Yordan Osorio’s cross was blocked by the arm of Miguel Trauco. 

However, Machís spot-kick was brilliantly repelled by Gallese before the ball was scrambled clear. 

Gallese denied Machís again in a dramatic finish, allowing ‘La Blanquirroja’ to see out a potentially crucial win.

 As a result of Uruguay’s 3-0 loss in Bolivia, Gareca’s men are now fourth, bumping Chile into the inter-confederation play-off spot for the time being. 

Venezuela are realistically out of the reckoning as they sit nine points off Chile with only four games to play. 

Source: FlashScore