Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Midfielder Jumar scored an 89th-minute goal to give ten-man Palmeiras of Brazil a 1-0 win over Peru's Sport Ancash and a spot in the quarterfinals.

Palmeiras advanced 1-0 on aggregate after the teams had played to a scoreless draw in the first leg last week in Lima, Peru. Its quarterfinal opponent will be Argentina's Argentinos Juniors, which eliminated Mexico's San Luis.

With extra time and a penalty shootout looming, Jumar scored the winner in pouring rain in Sao Paulo with a powerful left-foot shot from inside the penalty area, past two defenders and Ancash goalkeeper Johnny Vegas.

Palmeiras advanced despite playing both matches without most of its regular starters who were rested, as the club concentrates on maintaining its first place in the Brazilian league -- which they have not won since 1994.

Former Brazil international center back Roque Junior made his first appearance for Palmeiras in nine years, after a long career in Europe.

Palmeiras played a man down from the 50th minute after midfielder Sandro Silva was red-carded for a hard foul. Ancash defender Sergio Ubillus was ejected in the 88th after receiving his second yellow card.

The result extended Palmeiras' six-match streak without conceding a goal.

Palmeiras, a four-time Brazilian champion, are seeking their first significant international title since winning the 1999 Copa Libertadores.

Ancash, from the city of Huaraz, were playing in an international competition for the first time in their 41-year history after finishing third in last season's Peruvian league.

News source: ANDINA

Peru’s girls youth volleyball team will play today against Bolivia in their first match of the Youth South American Tournament being held at Callao’s Miguel Grau coliseum from October 1 - 5.

The match between the Peruvians and Bolivians will be played at 19:00 hours (24:00 GMT) at the Miguel Grau newly remodeled coliseum located in Callao, 10 km (6 miles) from downtown Lima.

Peru is expected to top the tournament's Group B, which also includes Argentina and Uruguay; while Brazil, another favorite team to win the tournament, is in Group A with Venezuela, Colombia and Chile.

Peru's number one tennis player Luis Horna moved up two places in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Rankings, despite not playing a tournament on the international circuit.

Horna is now in 104th place with 454 points, while Peru's number two tennis player, Iván “Chino” Miranda, dropped four places to 221st with 180 points.

Mauricio Echazú also slipped down the ATP Ranking to 744th (-4) and Matías Silva dropped one place to 877th.

Young Peruvian tennis players Álvaro Raposo dropped 12 places to 1015th while Sergio Gáldos keeps his 1261st place in the ATP rankings.

News source: ANDINA

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

In preparation for 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Paraguay, José Guillermo del Solar, the head coach for Peru's national football team is to start training with a group of fifteen players on Monday afternoon.

After beating Venezuela 1-0 and managing to tie with Argentina 1-1, Del Solar, the national selection, and fans are eager to enter rounds nine and ten of the qualifiers that will determine the four South American countries that will go to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup.

After the national team's last two games, fans in the Andean country have changed their vision of coach "Chemo" del Solar.

Criticizing fans for having a short-sighted view of the country's football crisis, El Comercio newspaper reported that after Peru's last two games, Del Solar's approval rate jumped to 69 percent.

El Comercio affirmed that this approval rate had been inconceivable just three months ago, when fans were demanding Chemo's head after Uruguay routed the Andean country's team 6-0 in June.

At that time, Ipsos Apoyo polling firm reported that 74 percent of the Peruvian fans surveyed had requested that Del Solar be fired as the country's head coach.

The newspaper supported its point that fans were easily won over by wins by pointing out that despite the November scandal with national players, 43.9 percent of fans supported the country's head coach after a tie with Brazil.

These figures dropped to 24 percent after Peru lost to Uruguay.

Peru is to play against Bolivia in La Paz on October 11 and against Paraguay in Asunción on October 15.

The following is the 25-man Peru squad chosen by coach José Guillermo Del Solar, just before FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia on October 11 and Paraguay on October 15.

Goalkeepers: Leao Butrón Gotuzzo (Universidad San Martín de Porres) and Raúl Fernández Valverde (Universitario de Deportes)

Defenders: Roberto Carlos Guizasola La Rosa (Cienciano), Guillermo Sandro Salas Suárez (Universidad San Martín de Porres), Orlando Contreras Collantes (Universidad San Martín de Porres), Guillermo Martín Ramos Garagay (Sporting Cristal), Amilton Jair Prado Barrón (Sporting Cristal), Walter Ricardo Vílchez Soto (Puebla - Mexico), Alberto Junior Rodríguez Valdelomar (SC Braga - Portugal), Carlos Augusto Zambrano Ochandarte (Schalke 04 - Germany) and Juan Manuel Vargas Risco (Fiorentina - Italy)

Midfielders: Juan Carlos Mariño Márquez (Cienciano), Ronald Jhonatan Quinteros Sánchez (Universidad San Martín de Porres) Henry Edson Quinteros Sánchez (Alianza Lima), Juan Carlos La Rosa Llontop (Alianza Lima), Rinaldo Cruzado Durand (Sporting Cristal), Rainer Torres Salas (Universitario de Deportes), Paolo Jan Carlos De la Haza Urquiza (Chernomoretz Odessa - Ukraine) and Nolberto Albino Solano Todco (Larissa FC - Greece)

Forwards: Piero Fernando Alva Niezen (Cienciano), Wilmer Alexander Aguirre Vázquez (Alianza Lima), Daniel Alonso Sánchez Albujar (Sporting Cristal), Johan Javier Fano Espinoza (Once Caldas - Colombia), Hernán Rengifo Trigoso (Lech Poznan - Poland) and Daniel Mackensi Chávez Castillo (Club Brugge - Belgium).

Peru is ninth after ten teams with seven points after eight rounds of the marathon 18-game round-robin completed. The top four teams qualify directly for the 2010 World Cup, with the fifth-placed team to go into a playoff against a CONCACAF team.

News source: ANDINA

Peru's top tennis player Luis Horna has claimed the first point for the Peruvian team in Davis Cup action in Tel Aviv on Friday after downing Israel's Harel Levy in four sets.

Luis Horna beat Israeli number two Harel Levy 6-3, 7-6 (tie break), 5-7, 7-5 in the first singles match of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group Play-off tie at Ramat Hasharon Stadium located near Tel Aviv, Israel.

In today's second singles rubber, Israeli No. 1 Dudi Sela will face Peru's Ivan Miranda.

On Saturday, Andy Ram and Levy will face Horna and Miranda in the doubles and the reverse singles will be played on Sunday, with Sela to play Horna in the first match and Levy to go up against Miranda in what could be a decisive encounter.

News source: ANDINA

Update:

Israel, Peru level at 1-1 in Davis Cup playoff

Dudi Sela defeated Ivan Miranda 6-2, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 on Friday to put Israel level at 1-1 against Peru in the Davis Cup World Group playoff. Peru's Luis Horna had defeated Harel Levy 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-3 in the opening match before Sela pleased the crowd at the Ramat Hasharon tennis center by easily taking the first two sets. (AP - click here to read complete article)

Peruvian football club Sport Ancash won on Tuesday 4-0 against Chile's Ñublense club in a match played at the Centenario Stadium in the Peruvian city of Huancayo and qualified for the last eight of the South American Cup.

Brazilian player Calheria found the net twice, while Peruvians Cartagena and "Kukín" Flores also scored for the home team.

During the first leg on Thursday, Sept. 4, Ñublense beat Sport Ancash 1-0 in Concepcion, Chile.

Sport Ancash, nicknamed "La Amenaza Verde" ("The Green Threat" for the color of their jerseys), will now play the winner between Brazilian clubs Vasco de Gama and Palmeiras.

News source: ANDINA

Peru's Sofia Mulanovich ranked second in the 2008 Billabong Girls Pro Rio, held in Brazil, after being defeated in the Final by Hawaiian Melanie Bartels

Event No. 4 of 8 on the 2008 ASP Women's World Tour, the Billabong Girls Pro Rio survived through a grueling five-day lay period to culminate in excellent conditions today, with the ASP Top 17 putting in some of the best performances in ASP history.

Bartels, with a lot of confidence after defeating the reigning ASP Women's World Champion, Stephanie Gilmore, during the Semifinals, took down Mulanovich in the Final thanks to two good waves (6.67 and 7.67).

Mulanovich, who solidifies her position at No. 2 on the ASP Women's World Tour ratings with today's runner up finish, couldn't find the scoring waves in the Final.

Bartels scored 14.34 points to defeat Peruvian Sofía Mulanovich (10.60) in the Billabong Girls Pro Rio Final.

The next stop on the 2008 ASP Women's World Tour will be the Beachley Classic in Sydney, Australia from October 9 – 14, 2008.

Current ASP Women's World Tour Ratings: After Event No. 4 of 8

1 – Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 3516 points
2 – Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 3504 points
3 – Layne Beachley (AUS) 3036 points
4 – Samantha Cornish (AUS) 2628 points
5 – Amee Donohoe (AUS) 2424 points

News source: ANDINA

A group of players from the German football club Hamburg HSV, including Peruvian striker Paolo Guerrero, visited a nursing home to spend some time with the elderly residents and help with repairs and painting inside the building.

23-year-old Paolo Guerrero held a long and pleasant conversation with a nice woman.

Before leaving, Hamburg players showed off their football skills to the delight of local residents who took pictures with Bundesliga stars.

HSV came from two goals down to beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 on Saturday.

With this victory, HSV is at the top of the Bundesliga table for the first time since the 1999/2000 season.

News source: ANDINA

After classifying to play in Mexico next year the minors volleyball team and the sub champions of the South American Athletics competition were honored by President Alan Garcia in recognition for their the hard work and achievements.

The ceremony took place in the Grand Hall in the Palacio de Gobierno, where the President proceeded to praise the athletes on their dedication and perseverance in sport as well as thanking them for representing their country so well.

The president stated that he and his government were committed to supporting the athletes in both national and international tours in order to assure they would be prepared.

He went on to wish them the best of luck in their upcoming match.

In return, the President received a ball and flag signed by all the members on the team.