Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa shouldered full responsibility for his side s shock 1-0 defeat to Peru in their World Cup qualifying encounter.
Peru, winless in their previous nine matches, stole the points in the 88th minute when Miguel Araujo headed Piero Quispe s cross beyond the grasp of Sergio Rochet.
The Blanquirroja earned their first win over Uruguay since 2017, with the triumph moving them above last-placed Chile following their late defeat to Brazil.
Uruguay had a string of chances to take the lead in the first half, with Liverpool s Darwin Nunez and Manchester United s Manuel Ugarte coming closest.
But the Peruvians started brightly after the interval, with Edison Flores unable to guide his effort on target before Sergio Pena rippled the side-netting on the hour-mark.
With the match appearing to end all square, the Estadio Nacional de Lima was sent into raptures when Araujo was picked out to seal a memorable triumph for the hosts, powering home his first international goal.
1-0
Eliminatorias Copa Mundial de la FIFA 26
— Selección Uruguaya (@Uruguay)
Uruguay managed an expected goals (xG) tally of just 0.36 compared to Peru s 0.78, recording eight efforts with only three of those on target.
Despite dominating possession throughout the contest, Bielsa acknowledged that his game plan restricted his players from making a difference in the final third.
“I honestly feel responsible, Bielsa said.
Due to the players we had in the midfield and in the offence, for such a small proportion of goal chances we created in the second half.
Uruguay s defeat sees them remain in third place in the qualifying standings, four points behind leaders Argentina.
