Football: Peru overcome New Zealand in playoffs to reach World Cup finals

LIMA - Peru became the last side to clinch their place at next year's World Cup finals when goals in each half from Jefferson Farfan and Christian Ramos gave them a 2-0 win over New Zealand in the second leg of their inter-confederation playoff on Wednesday (Nov 15).

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.

The South Americans, who last appeared at the World Cup finals in 1982, are 10th in the latest Fifa rankings and will go into the second group of seeds when the draw is made in Moscow on Dec 1.