The team led by Ricardo Gareca won at home against Paraguay and secured fifth spot in the South American Qualifiers.
With 24 points, Peru left Chile and Colombia without a chance and will play playoff heading to the World Cup as they did in 2018, when they beat New Zealand. On this occasion, their rival will be Australia or the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
At 4 minutes, the Bicolor opened the scoring. Cueva received in midfield and after starting at speed he released a perfect pass for Lapadula. The striker did not fail in the area and made 1-0 with an effective definition.
But not everything was a party in Lima, because an error in the background allowed Paraguayan striker Carlos Ferreira to draw a shot from medium distance that made Pedro Gallese's crossbar sound.
When the game entered a plateau, Cueva appeared again by capturing a rebound near the box and releasing it to Edison Flores. The winger then launched the center for Yoshimar Yotún's arrival at the far post, who with a pirouette dislodged goalkeeper Antony Silva and shouted 2-0.