This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Peru became the last side to clinch their place at next year’s World Cup finals as goals from Jefferson Farfan and Christian Ramos gave them a 2-0 win over New Zealand in the second leg of their intercontinental play-off.

Mile Jedinak hat-trick against Honduras sends Australia to World Cup Read more

The teams played out a 0-0 draw in the first leg in Wellington on Saturday but Peru got their noses in front on 27 minutes when Farfan hammered home a fierce rising shot from just inside the penalty area to complete a sweeping counter-attack.

New Zealand brought on Chris Wood at half-time in search of a vital away goal and a series of long balls to the towering Burnley striker managed to put Peru on the back foot in the early stages of the second period.

However, the Kiwis could not make their temporary control of the contest count and Ramos doubled Peru’s lead after 64 minutes when he seized on a loose ball from a corner kick and lashed it into the roof of the net from close range.

Quick guide World Cup 2018: the draw Show Hide When is it? The group stage draw will take place on Friday 1 December (3pm GMT/6pm local) at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow. Organisers promise a 'colourful show representing local culture' before the balls are drawn. How does it work? Hosts Russia will be seeded in Group A. The 31 qualifiers will be split into four pots, based on the October world rankings. Teams from the same confederation will be kept apart – although a maximum of two Uefa sides can be drawn together. The four pots Pot 1: Russia (hosts, Group A), Germany, Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Belgium, Poland, France. Pot 2: Spain, Peru, Switzerland, England, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, Croatia. Pot 3: Denmark, Iceland, Costa Rica, Sweden, Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal, Iran. Pot 4: Serbia, Nigeria, Australia, Japan, Morocco, Panama, South Korea, Saudi Arabia. What will England fans be hoping for? It's best not to presume anything with England but a group with, say, Brazil, Iceland and Nigeria would look more daunting than facing Poland, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. You can test the permutations for yourself with our interactive draw simulator. What else to look out for 2010 winners Spain are somehow in pot two and will be the ones to avoid for all the top seeds. There are only two debutants in Iceland and Panama but three teams have qualified for the first time this century – Peru (first since 1982), Egypt (1990) and Morocco (1998). Or if you like an underdog, how about backing the current lowest-ranked team? It's the hosts, Russia. Photograph: Arsen Galstyan Handout/ADIDAS PRESS SERVICE

“Mission accomplished, thank you,” said the Peru coach, Ricardo Gareca, after the historic victory. “We have managed something very important for the country. I am very emotional.”

After coaching a slew of South American clubs, Gareca was hired as Peru manager in 2015 with the express task of taking a national side that contained plenty of talent but few big names back to the finals for the first time since 1982.

His two-and-a-half years in charge started inconsistently and some were quick to call for his dismissal. “It was a complicated start,” Gareca admitted. “You always need a bit of luck. I am a person who believes in luck, although I believe in work above all.”

He led Peru to the semi-finals of the 2015 Copa America but they struggled in the early World Cup qualifiers, winning just one of their first six fixtures.



However, they were given a huge boost in September last year when in their seventh match, Bolivia fielded an illegal player and the 2-0 defeat was overturned into a 3-0 victory by a sporting tribunal.



The South Americans are 10th in the latest Fifa rankings and will go into the second group of seeds when the draw is made in Moscow on 1 December.

