Peru head coach Ricardo Gareca offered no guarantees about his future in the role after Los Incas beat Australia 2-0 in their final Group C game at the World Cup.
Gareca's side was eliminated in third place behind France and Denmark, against whom it lost 1-0 in both matches, but goals from Andre Carrillo and Paolo Guerrero helped to restore some pride before the long journey home.
The 60-year-old, who took charge of Peru in February 2015, said that both he and the Peruvian Football Federation would need to review the team's performance before making a decision over his future.
"The whole federation has to take stock," Gareca told reporters. "There are a whole range of issues that need to be looked over.
"The national team is a huge responsibility. I have taken on a commitment over the last three-and-a-half years. We have had some strenuous times but at no stage did I think about stopping or quitting.
"I took this job on to the bitter end, regardless of results or problems in the meantime. I'll take some time and think about it, the federation needs to think about it. What's most important is to recognise the challenges and see that we've overcome them. As a group we continue to grow and evolve."
Carrillo, who volleyed home Peru's first World Cup goal in 36 years after 18 minutes of the game in Sochi, said he and his team-mates would return home proud but frustrated.
Deserved more than we got
The 27-year-old was Peru's stand-out player against Australia, but he insisted: "I think I can play even better.
"If I've played well it's also thanks to my team-mates. I'd rather play worse and qualify and move on in the competition.
"No opponent made us look bad. We deserved more than we got. We go back home with a sense of frustration that we got less than we deserved.
"We showed we play a very high level of football. We're slightly better because we were better than Denmark and at times we were better than France. We need to look to the future."
Comments
SHARE