Juan Reynoso’s Peruvian team still doesn’t raise their heads. At the beginning of the date 5 in South American qualification for the 2026 World Cup, Bicolor lost 0-2 to Bolivia, a result that marked their fourth consecutive defeat in the competition. The terrible moment that Blanquirroja is experiencing leaves them at the bottom of the table with just one point and far from the classification zone, although a third of the process has not yet been played. As if that wasn’t enough, the team’s numbers are the worst since the current round-robin format was introduced.
Currently, Peru is the only team that hasn’t scored a goal in its first five games. According to Spanish statistician MisterChip, this is the worst start ever recorded in the history of South American qualifying tournaments. According to the sports journalist, the series will extend to six games if the World Cup playoff against Australia in 2022 is taken into account.
The Peruvian team’s goalless start to qualifying caught the attention of the popular Spanish statistician. Photo: Photo by MisterChip/X
Another “anti-record” set by the Inca team in the competition was the highest number of minutes without a shot on goal. Although Gianluca Lapadula ended this situation in the 43rd minute of the first half against La Verde, according to statistics, 571 minutes passed without Peru firing a single shot on goal against their rivals.
This terrible performance from the Reynoso team displaced Ricardo Gareca’s on the road to Qatar 2022 as the weakest start for the Peruvian team since playing under the current system. In the same number of games, the “Tigre” also got a single point, but with the difference that his team scored as many as four goals (in addition, the “Flaco” ended its bad streak in the sixth game, defeating the guests from Ecuador ). ).
What did Juan Reynoso say after the defeat against Bolivia?
At a press conference, the Bicolor coach ruled out resigning despite fans’ demands and indicated that he would do everything to fulfill his contract with the Peruvian Football Federation (FPF), valid until the end of the year, as qualifiers.
“No, my contract covers the entire process. You can feel the everyday perspective with the players, I remain calm on this side, I understand people’s anger, but I don’t share the opinion. Football is made up of these moments and the ones that make the difference are the ones who turn these situations around through work,” Reynoso said.