World Cup 2018: Australia crash out as Peru fans finally rejoice in Andre Carillo and Paolo Guerrero goals

Australia travelled to this World Cup hoping to earn redemption for a sporting nation that has suffered a disappointing and at times turbulent year so far. Instead, Bert van Marwijk’s limited side – like their cricket and rugby counterparts in recent days – came up well short. The Socceroos will return home a plucky, industrious but beaten team.

Peru are leaving Russia too of course, having been eliminated last week by their opening two defeats. Yet they will fly back with a win – much to the delight of their substantial support, whose noise and colour has seemingly filled every town square and hotel lobby in this country for the past fortnight. Those fans, as much as Ricardo Gareca’s adventurous side, deserved a victory to celebrate.

A 18th-minute volley from Andre Carrillo, on loan at Watford last season, and a strike shortly after the interval by Paolo Guerrero, the striker whose drug suspension was lifted so that he could participate in this tournament, ended any faint hope Australia had of sneaking into the round of 16. Even if Van Marwijk had masterminded victory here, it would not have been enough. Denmark’s drab, goalless draw with France in Moscow in the concurrent Group C kick-off ensured of that.

When that faint hope briefly existed, Australia unsurprisingly started with a greater sense of purpose and initially looked comfortable disrupting Peru’s long spells of passive possession with sharp challenges and equally-sharp counter-attacks. The South Americans soon hit back with some direct play of their own though, and it ended with an early sucker punch.

A long, searching ball out the back by Yoshimar Yotun was brought down just outside the area by Guerrero. Rather than take the opportunity on himself, he crossed and found Carrillo, whose well-taken volley crashed past goalkeeper Mat Ryan. Of all 32 teams at this tournament, only Costa Rica – who play Switzerland in Nizhny Novgorod on Wednesday – are yet to score.

Australian hearts sank, but the 10,000 or so wearing green and gold inside the Fisht Olympic Stadium could take solace in the fact they had the most inventive player on the park. Tom Rogic took it upon himself to revive the dying hope of qualification, at one point weaving in and out of three Peruvians on the edge of the area. Then, with centre-forward Tomi Juric in space, Rogic instead shot at goal. The effort was tame and turned away.

The Celtic midfielder made amends a few minutes later by opening Peru’s left-hand side up with a expertly-threaded through ball. Robbie Kruse latched onto the pass and having coaxed goalkeeper Pedro Gallese out of position, he squared for the waiting Mathew Leckie. This was the equaliser, there for the taking, but two Peruvians suddenly intervened, darting in front of Leckie to happily concede a corner.

From thereon, Australia struggled to find the same openings. Chances came only from speculative crosses and sub-par set-pieces. Peru – who kept just two clean sheets through qualifying – were comfortable defensively and would become more assured still five minutes after half time when Guerrero added a second.

Finally, one of the intricate phases of neat interplay that Gareca encourages from his players paid off at this tournament. It was canny move, exposing space on Australia’s right, but there was more than an element of fortune in the bobbling, final pass falling to Guerrero, who then poked out of Ryan’s reach. The Australian captain Mile Jedinak was one of three Group C skippers to write to Fifa recommending Guerrero’s ban be lifted. He might be cursing such generosity now.

The introduction of Tim Cahill, a 38-year-old veteran of Australia’s ‘golden generation’, produced a cheer from the Antipodeans in attendance but it would be their only cause to cheer all afternoon. The achievement of Cahill’s 2006 team in reaching the World Cup knockout stages for the first time in Australia’s history still stands alone.