Argentina were held 2-2 by Peru in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers on Thursday, their second successive away draw without injured talisman Lionel Messi, which dropped them to fifth in the South American group.
Defender Ramiro Funes Mori put Argentina ahead after 15 minutes but was responsible for Peru’s late penalty equaliser that was converted by Christian Cueva.
In between, Peru’s veteran striker Paolo Guerrero equalised early in the second half and Gonzalo Higuain restored Argentina’s lead in the 77th minute.
After nine matches, the halfway point in the South American qualifiers, Uruguay top the table with 19 points followed by Brazil on 18 and Ecuador, Colombia and Argentina all on 16. Peru climbed one place to eighth with eight points.
The top four go through to the 2018 finals in Russia while the team in fifth place, currently Argentina on goal difference, qualify for an intercontinental playoff against the Oceania winners for another berth.
Peru 2-2 Argentina
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