If Peru qualifies for World Cup, government will declare holiday

Peru's government is counting on the country's workers.

On Tuesday, Peru's Ministerio de Trabajo y Promocion del Empleo announced that a "non-working day" will be declared if qualification to the 2018 World Cup is achieved. After playing out a scoreless draw in the first leg, which took place at the Westpac Stadium, Peru and New Zealand will play the second leg of the inter-confederation play-off on Wednesday at the Estadio Nacional. The winner will book a flight to Russia.

"This Wednesday, November 15, 2017, our national team will seek qualification to the 2018 World Cup, a historic achievement that would generate joining together and rejoicing at the national level, since it's been more than 35 years that we didn't participate in an event of this magnitude," a statement reads.

"If this objective is achieved, it would be necessary to adopt measures that facilitate the natural celebration of this qualification, within the frame of an adequate order and civic safety.

"Therefore, if qualification to the World Cup of Russia 2018 is achieved, a non-working day will be declared on Thursday, November 16, 2017 (subject to compensation), by obligatory way for the public sector and by optional way for the private sector.

"The recovery of time will be subject to parametres of reasonableness and will not affect the worker's obligatory weekly rest."

Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, Peru's president who ran as a centrist candidate, took to Twitter on Friday, writing: "We are all warriors." A video was added in which he's wearing La Blanquirroja's shirt.

Peru is without Paolo Guerrero, the centre-forward whose last name translates as "warrior" and who, after an anti-doping test, was provisionally suspended for 30 days by FIFA's Disciplinary Committee due to an adverse analytical finding. In the first leg, Ricardo Gareca tried to fill the hole with Jefferson Farfan, who is a winger and support striker, but the product of Club Alianza Lima couldn't tally a goal in New Zealand.

Peru last appeared at the World Cup in 1982, when a generation commanded by Teofilo Cubillas bowed out in the group stage.