The fans of Peru will never forget this image: Luis Advíncula, crying inconsolably on the pitch of the Ahmad bin Ali stadium in Doha, after missing his penalty against Australia and his teammate Álex Valera did the same in the playoffs for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. A World Cup in which the Peruvian team will not be after losing the shootout ( 5-4 after a 0-0). Later, the Boca winger wrote a heartbreaking message on the networks, blaming himself for the defeat and announcing his goodbye to the national team, and hours later he deleted it, everything indicates that after speaking with the Peruvian coaching staff, with his teammates and also with his family.
Advíncula’s message on Instagram, later deleted
Advíncula posted this message on Instagram: “First I apologize to my family. and friends for the pain I caused and to all of PERU, I am the ONLY person responsible for this debacle and my life will not be enough to apologize. I got here today, I take a step to the side of the selection. I don’t think I have the strength to get up from this. To my teammates, thank you very much for everything and sorry for so little.”
Given that later the right back of Peru (with which he debuted in 2010) and Boca deleted this message, it remains up in the air whether the 32-year-old player will continue in the national team or not. Advíncula (106 caps for Peru, 2 goals scored) took the third penalty of his own, the shot hit the post and crossed the goal before Australia’s goalkeeper dancer, Andrew Redmayne. Ricardo Gareca’s men lost the advantage they had, as Pedro Gallese, Peru’s goalkeeper, saved Australia’s first maximum penalty, launched by Martin Boyle.
Advíncula, consoled after his failure
It was when Redmayne saved Valera’s penalty that Advíncula threw himself to the ground and began to cry inconsolably. The winger had just returned to his national team, after getting injured on May 22 playing with Boca, with whom he won the Argentine Professional League Cup. Advíncula will rejoin the auriazul discipline (as will Carlos Zambrano, also a starter against Australia). Boca must face, in addition to their league matches against Tigre, Barracas Central and Unión, the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores against Corinthians. Soccer doesn’t stop.
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