LIMA, Peru – Last Friday night Portland Timbers defender Miguel Araujo brought nearly 50,000 poeple to their feet in celebration at the Estadio Nacional de Lima following his 88th minute goal that would give Peru a 1-0 win over Uruguay in the heated CONMEBOL FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
A tightly-contested match, Uruguay contained much of the possession throughout, with each side getting various shots and a couple looks on goal. As the final five minutes of regulation neared, the deadlock remained . It wasn’t until Araujo’s sneaky unmarked run into the box gave him a clear header on Piero Quispe’s cross. The Timbers defender made powerful contact with the ball and gave the Uruguayan goalkeeper no chance, deflecting the ball into the post and then into the back of the net, sending the stadium into euphoria.
𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝗹 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲́𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝗮𝘀𝗶́ 𝗳𝘂𝗲 𝘆 𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗼́ 𝗲𝗹 𝗴𝗼𝗹 𝗱𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝗔𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗷𝗼 😜#UnSentimientoQueNosUne pic.twitter.com/9dmc4NF2xh
Miguel Araujo’s big moment gives Peru their first three points in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers. Since starting their World Cup journey back on Sept. 7, 2023, La Bicolor had registered a 0-5-3 record through eight matches heading into their matchup with Uruguay last Friday. The victory over third place Uruguay gives Peru a much needed boost in the qualifying battle, pushing them out of bottom spot of the standings.
Currently in ninth place in qualifier standings, Peru has nine remaining matches to right the ship and fight their way into the top six.
Up next: Peru faces Brazil on Tuesday Oct. 15 in Brasilia’s Arena BRB Mané Garrincha. Kickoff is set for 5:45pm PT
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