2 March 1998 - Brazil's Baker's Dozen, Plus A Couple Extra

On 2 March 1998, 2-time winners Brazil started their third South American Women's Championship in style with a record 15-0 win over Peru.

The team had won both of the previous tournaments as hosts, in 1991 and 1995. During the latter, they set their record win, beating Bolivia 15-0 in the group stage, and were looking to repeat that success when Argentina hosted it in 1998. And repeat it they did, matching the record with a win over Peru in the opening match of their 1998 campaign.

They followed it with impressively lopsided victories over Colombia (12-1), Venezuela (14-0), and Chile (7-0) to close out the group stage with a staggering goal differential of +47.

In the knockout rounds, the margins narrowed slightly, with an 11-1 win over Ecuador in the semifinals and a 7-1 win over hosts Argentina in the final that delivered their third consecutive trophy in the competition.

1 November 1927 - Peru Starts Down The Path

On 1 November 1927, Peru played their first official international, losing 0-4 to Uruguay in the South American Championship.

The history of Peruvian football dates back to the second half of the nineteenth century, when it was introduced by English sailors in the port of Callao. Its popularity quickly spread, with clubs sprouting up all across the country. That, in turn, led to the creation of the Peruvian Football Federation in 1922.

An unofficial national team played an exhibition against Uruguay that year, but it took another five years to form an official team sanctioned by FIFA. The catalyst was Peru's role as host of the 1927 South American Championship (the tournament now known as the Copa América).

They played their first match of the tournament against Uruguay at the Estadio Nacional in Lima and lost, 0-4 (the first goal was an own goal scored by Peru's Daniel Ulloa). They followed it with a 3-2 win over Bolivia and a 5-1 loss to Argentina to finish third out of four teams.

Since then, Peru has twice won the South American Championship (1939, 1975) and twice reached the World Cup quarterfinals (1970, 1978).

20 August 2003 - Pizarro Was Quick On His Feet

On 20 August 2003, Claudio Pizarro scored the fastest goal in the history of the Peruvian national team, coming just 18 seconds into a friendly against Mexico.

The teams met at Giants Stadium in New Jersey, where Pizarro (pictured) got the game off to a quick start, unleashing a left-footed blast from just outside the penalty spot to put Peru up 1-0. It was the first goal conceded by Mexico in six matches.

They did not wait long to concede again, though, surrendering a second goal to midfielder Carlos Zegarra in the 31st minute, then a third to Nolberto Solano two minutes later.

Down 3-0 at the break, Mexico eventually got on the scoreboard in the 54th minute with a goal from Mariano Trujillo. It was the last goal of the day, but not the last bit of excitement. A 68th-minute brawl resulted in the ejection of four players, two from each side--Pizarro and John Galliquio for Peru, Omar Briceño and Jared Borgetti for Mexico.

7 December 2007 - Peru's Rush To Justice

On 7 December 2007, Chelsea striker Claudio Pizarro was suspended indefinitely from the Peruvian national team for breaking team rules during their World Cup qualification campaign.

According to a Peruvian journalist, Pizarro and several other players, including Jefferson Farfan, Santiago Acasiete, and Andrés Mendoza, smuggled women and alcohol into the team hotel after Peru's 1-1 draw with Brazil on 18 November and only three days before their 5-1 hammering by Ecuador. Despite Pizarro's claim of innocence, the Peruvian football federation suspended him for 18 months and fined him $80,000.

Although they later reduced the suspension to 3 months and the fine to $10,000, Pizarro appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to clear his name. The CAS overturned both rulings, finding that "[t]he facts put forward by (the federation) in relation to Pizarro were not supported by concrete evidence." Peru, however, has not recalled Pizarro to the national team since his initial suspension.

Peru, who had taken only 2 points from 4 qualification matches before the suspensions, finished at the bottom of the CONMEBOL standings and did not qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

Pizarro returned to the national team in 2011.

8 March 1949 - The Coming Of Hugo

On 8 March 1949, Barcelona star and 1975 Copa America hero Hugo Sotil was born in Ica, Peru. A striker and attacking midfielder, Sotil's skill on the ball has been compared to that of George Best. Unfortunately, the comparisons don't stop there, as drinking problems led to his premature decline.

Sotil made his professional debut in 1968 with CD Municipal, where he scored 49 goals in five seasons. In 1973, he moved to Barcelona and, alongside Johann Cruyff, he helped them win the league in his first season--Barça's first league title in 14 years. His problems with alcohol surfaced in his second season and he temporarily lost his starting position to newcomer Johann Neeskens, though he reclaimed it during the 1975-76 season.

He earned 62 caps for Peru during his career, but the most significant one was the 1975 Copa America final against Colombia. Barcelona did not allow him to participate in the preliminary matches, so he flew to Caracas for the final, heading directly to the stadium from the airport and arriving there as his teammates were already warming up. Despite the lack of preparation, he scored the match's only goal in the 25th minute to give Peru the 1-0 victory.

Sotil returned to Peru in 1977 to play for Alianza Lima, winning the league in his only two seasons there. He spent two seasons with Independiente Medellín, two with CD Municipal, and one with Espartanos FC before retiring in 1984 at the age of 35.

29 May 1963 - "... And A Child Shall Lead Them ... "

On 29 May 1963, center back Bobby Moore became England's youngest senior team captain at 22 years, 47 days.

Moore, who played for West Ham from 1958 to 1974, earned his first senior cap for England in May 1962 in a 4-0 friendly victory over Peru. He played a significant role for England in the 1962 World Cup, which ended in a quarterfinal defeat to eventual winners Brazil.

His appearance on 29 May 1963 was only his 12th for the national team. Long-serving captain Johnny Haynes had just retired and his immediate successor, Jimmy Armfield, was injured, leading new manager Alf Ramsey to hand the captain's armband to Moore. He rewarded Ramsey's faith by leading the team to a 4-2 win over Czechoslovakia.

Armfield reclaimed the captaincy upon his return, but Moore received it permanently in 1964. He led England to victory in the 1966 World Cup, which made him an English football icon. He made a total of 108 appearances for the national team, a record at the time that was later surpassed by goalkeeper Peter Shilton (125 caps) and David Beckham (115).

21 July 1970 - At Least They Didn't Go Home Empty-Handed

On 21 July 1970, FIFA awarded the inaugural Fair Play Trophy to Peru for not receiving a single card during the World Cup.

The tournament was Peru's first World Cup since 1930, when they lost both of their matches. They did better in 1970, beating Bulgaria and Morocco before losing to West Germany in their final group-stage match. That was enough to send them into the quarterfinals, where they lost to Brazil on 14 June.

The tournament ended on 21 June with Brazil beating Italy in the final. Later that day, as part of the awards ceremony, FIFA recognized Peru's spotless disciplinary record with a new honor called the Fair Play Trophy.

Since then, the trophy has been awarded at every World Cup, given to the team with the fewest cards. Spain won the most recent Fair Play Trophy in 2010. In addition to a trophy, the winners get a certificate, a medal for each player and team official, and $50,000 worth of equipment for their youth programs.

2 March 1998 - Three Times A Lady For Brazil

On 2 March 1998, 2-time winners Brazil started their third South American Women's Championship in style with a record 15-0 win over Peru.

The team had won both of the previous tournaments as hosts, in 1991 and 1995. During the latter, they set their record win, beating Bolivia 15-0 in the group stage, and were looking to repeat that success when Argentina hosted it in 1998. And repeat it they did, matching the record with a win over Peru in the opening match of their 1998 campaign.

They followed it with impressively lopsided victories over Colombia (12-1), Venezuela (14-0), and Chile (7-0) to close out the group stage with a staggering goal differential of +47.

In the knockout rounds, the margins narrowed slightly, with an 11-1 win over Ecuador in the semifinals and a 7-1 win over hosts Argentina in the final that delivered their third consecutive trophy in the competition.

1 November 1927 - Peru Starts Down The Path

On 1 November 1927, Peru played their first official international, losing 0-4 to Uruguay in the South American Championship.

The history of Peruvian football dates back to the second half of the nineteenth century, when it was introduced by English sailors in the port of Callao. Its popularity quickly spread, with clubs sprouting up all across the country. That, in turn, led to the creation of the Peruvian Football Federation in 1922.

An unofficial national team played an exhibition against Uruguay that year, but it took another five years to form an official team sanctioned by FIFA. The catalyst was Peru's role as host of the 1927 South American Championship (the tournament now known as the Copa América).

They played their first match of the tournament against Uruguay at the Estadio Nacional in Lima and lost, 0-4 (the first goal was an own goal scored by Peru's Daniel Ulloa). They followed it with a 3-2 win over Bolivia and a 5-1 loss to Argentina to finish third out of four teams.

Since then, Peru has twice won the South American Championship (1939, 1975) and twice reached the World Cup quarterfinals (1970, 1978).

20 August 2003 - Pizarro Was Quick On His Feet

On 20 August 2003, Claudio Pizarro scored the fastest goal in the history of the Peruvian national team, coming just 18 seconds into a friendly against Mexico.

The teams met at Giants Stadium in New Jersey, where Pizarro (pictured) got the game off to a quick start, unleashing a left-footed blast from just outside the penalty spot to put Peru up 1-0. It was the first goal conceded by Mexico in six matches.

They did not wait long to concede again, though, surrendering a second goal to midfielder Carlos Zegarra in the 31st minute, then a third to Nolberto Solano two minutes later.

Down 3-0 at the break, Mexico eventually got on the scoreboard in the 54th minute with a goal from Mariano Trujillo. It was the last goal of the day, but not the last bit of excitement. A 68th-minute brawl resulted in the ejection of four players, two from each side--Pizarro and John Galliquio for Peru, Omar Briceño and Jared Borgetti for Mexico.

8 March 1949 - The Coming Of Hugo

On 8 March 1949, Barcelona star and 1975 Copa America hero Hugo Sotil was born in Ica, Peru. A striker and attacking midfielder, Sotil's skill on the ball has been compared to that of George Best. Unfortunately, the comparisons don't stop there, as drinking problems led to his premature decline.

Sotil made his professional debut in 1968 with CD Municipal, where he scored 49 goals in five seasons. In 1973, he moved to Barcelona and, alongside Johann Cruyff, he helped them win the league in his first season--Barça's first league title in 14 years. His problems with alcohol surfaced in his second season and he temporarily lost his starting position to newcomer Johann Neeskens, though he reclaimed it during the 1975-76 season.

He earned 62 caps for Peru during his career, but the most significant one was the 1975 Copa America final against Colombia. Barcelona did not allow him to participate in the preliminary matches, so he flew to Caracas for the final, heading directly to the stadium from the airport and arriving there as his teammates were already warming up. Despite the lack of preparation, he scored the match's only goal in the 25th minute to give Peru the 1-0 victory.

Sotil returned to Peru in 1977 to play for Alianza Lima, winning the league in his only two seasons there. He spent two seasons with Independiente Medellín, two with CD Municipal, and one with Espartanos FC before retiring in 1984 at the age of 35.

7 December 2007 - Peru's Rush To Justice

On 7 December 2007, Chelsea striker Claudio Pizarro was suspended indefinitely from the Peruvian national team for breaking team rules during their World Cup qualification campaign.

According to a Peruvian journalist, Pizarro and several other players, including Jefferson Farfan, Santiago Acasiete, and Andrés Mendoza, smuggled women and alcohol into the team hotel after Peru's 1-1 draw with Brazil on 18 November and only three days before their 5-1 hammering by Ecuador. Despite Pizarro's claim of innocence, the Peruvian football federation suspended him for 18 months and fined him $80,000.

Although they later reduced the suspension to 3 months and the fine to $10,000, Pizarro appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to clear his name. The CAS overturned both rulings, finding that "[t]he facts put forward by (the federation) in relation to Pizarro were not supported by concrete evidence." Peru, however, has not recalled Pizarro to the national team since his initial suspension.

Peru, who had taken only 2 points from 4 qualification matches before the suspensions, finished at the bottom of the CONMEBOL standings and did not qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

[Update: Pizarro returned to the national team in 2011.]