Orlando’s late-summer heat and heavy air formed the backdrop to Peru’s first stop on a demanding North American tour, but the evening ended in a 4-1 defeat to the United States after a disputed second-half penalty changed the shape of the friendly.
Gianluca Lapadula gave Peru an encouraging moment on his return to international football after 18 months away, cancelling out an early United States goal from 19-year-old debutant Justin Ellis. Yet Mauricio Pochettino’s young side pulled clear after the interval, with Malik Tillman, Julian Hall and Sebastian Berhalter adding the remaining goals.
The match was played in temperatures above 28°C, with humidity placing an evident physical demand on both teams. For Peru coach Menezes, it was the opening fixture of a four-match itinerary across the United States and Canada, one that will also take the team through Harrison in New Jersey, Montreal and Miami before the squad heads back to South America.
The Americans struck inside four minutes through Ellis, but Peru settled and found their equaliser around the quarter-hour mark. Yoshimar Yotún was Peru’s most influential figure in the opening stages and supplied the pass for Lapadula, whose finish marked a successful international comeback.
Peru struggled increasingly to maintain the tempo after the break, although the decisive incident arrived in controversial circumstances in the 66th minute. Mathis Albert went down near the edge of the box after a slight challenge from Jesús Pretell. The contact appeared to have occurred outside the penalty area, but the referee pointed to the spot. With no VAR available, Peru’s protests could not lead to a review.
Tillman converted the penalty with a low effort across goal to make it 2-1, a setback that quickly affected the visitors. Five minutes later, 18-year-old Hall extended the American advantage. Hall wore the surname Zakrzewski, taken from his mother, on the back of his shirt.
Berhalter then completed the scoring in stoppage time with a powerful strike from outside the area. Pochettino used the friendly to hand international debuts to 11 players, underlining the experimental nature of a United States side that nevertheless finished with a convincing scoreline.
Peru now travel to Harrison to face Mexico on 29 September, before meeting Canada in Montreal. Their final fixture of the tour will come in Miami against Colombia at NU Stadium, the home ground of Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami.
