Hordes of El Salvador soccer fans streamed into RFK Stadium on Saturday night for an international friendly against Peru. What they got instead was essentially a training session. And not a particularly crisp one, at that.
The South Americans encountered little resistance for much of its 3-1 win that featured more sloppy passes and blown chances than a typical intra-squad scrimmage.
“I thought we played okay, but there are a lot of things we can improve,” said Gareca, whose team leaves Monday for Seattle. “We have some players who are quite important who needed some rest, so it’s tough to find the right balance in terms of playing time for these guys.”
Peru didn’t take long to assert its superiority. Raul Ruidiaz outmuscled a Salvadoran defender for a loose ball outside the penalty arc, then showed why his countrymen call him the “Peruvian Messi.” The 25-year-old striker wasted no time ripping a 30-yard blast that beat goalkeeper Oscar Arrollo to his lower right corner.
El Salvador didn’t get a shot off until the 25th minute, but the blue-clad fan favorites were the friskier side early in the second half. La Selecta found a number of promising scoring opportunities in the first 10 minutes beyond halftime, but they struggled to put their shots anywhere close to the target.
Alexander Larin cut inside a Peruvian defender and found a clear look at goal in the 51st minute, but his 14-yard blast sailed well over the bar. Nelson Bonilla found an even better look four minutes later when the ball bounced into his lap six yards in front of the net. With no defender in his vicinity, Bonilla ballooned his one-timer toward the 55-year-old stadium’s upper deck.
Peru forward Edison Flores subbed into the match in the 57th minute and made an immediate impact. Three minutes after coming on, the 22-year-old speedster raced down the left channel and whipped a pinpoint cross into Andy Polo, whose header from six yards gave La Blanquirroja a two-goal advantage.
Peru substituted four players in the second half, allowing El Salvador to start dictating the pace during the game’s final 10 minutes. Only one of the Central Americans’ seven shots in the second half found the target, an 81st-minute header goal from Bonilla after a lovely flick-on from the right side of the penalty area.
Peru’s Yoshimar Yotun latched onto a slow-rolling ball five yards outside the box in the second minute of stoppage time. His low laser rocketed into the far corner for the 3-1 margin.
Peru will take on Haiti next week in the first round of Copa America, a 16-team international tournament beginning with the United States’ opener against Colombia on Friday. El Salvador, winless in its past 10 outings, did not qualify.
Peru has struggled to find its form in recent months, having only won one out of its last six South American World Cup qualifiers since last August. La Blanquirroja currently sit second from the bottom of the standings. They finished third in last year’s Copa América but last made the World Cup in 1982.
