Paolo Guerrero scored a second-half hat-trick as Peru took third place at the Copa America with a 4-1 win over Venezuela on Saturday.
Hamburg striker Guerrero was involved in the opener as William Chiroque fired home three minutes before the break before ripping the Venezuelans to pieces with a second-half showing which was helped by a sending off for Venezuelan midfielder Tomas Rincon.
Guerrero drove in his second goal just after the hour mark and, after Juan Arango had briefly threatened a comeback by making it 2-1 in the 78th minute, Guerrero turned the screw with two further goals in time added on.
"We are happy to have clinched third place. We all fought hard for this," said Guerrero as Peru showed that under coach Sergio Markarian they have improved from the side which ended the last World Cup qualifying tournament bottom of their group.
Guerrero's goals took him top of the scoring charts at the event with a total of five.
But he said that personal achievement was secondary to the win.
"I work for the team - they are the most important for me," he said.
Source: AFP
