Nolberto Solano was back in World Cup qualifying action for Peru on Sunday as they earned a creditable 1-1 draw against a Brazil side boasting Kaka and Ronaldinho.
The West Ham United midfielder played the entire 90 minutes in an advanced position on the right-hand side, in support of Claudio Pizarro and Jefferson Farfan. Despite his best efforts in front of a passionate home crowd in Lima, Solano could not inspire his side to victory in the third game of their qualifying campaign for the 2010 finals in South Africa.
AC Milan attacker Kaka broke the deadlock in stunning fashion just before the interval. Solano showed up well after the break, firing in a decent half-chance that just went over on 50 minutes, as chances on target were generally few and far between. He then went into the book in the 66th minute for a sliding challenge on Kaka - a caution that will rule him out of Wednesday's qualifier in Ecuador.
Peru were rewarded for some sustained pressure five minutes later when Juan Vargas struck a deflected equaliser. Juan hit the crossbar in the last couple of seconds for Brazil but Peru held on to earn a precious qualifying point. Because of his one-match ban, Solano, who came out of international retirement in the hope of securing a first taste of the World Cup finals, will be next in action with Sunday's visit of Tottenham Hotspur.
Peru began their qualifying campaign last month with a 0-0 home draw and 2-0 away defeat against Paraguay and Chile respectively. The South American zone is decided over two years in a league format with all ten competing nations playing each other on a home and away basis. The top four qualify for the finals with the fifth-placed team going into a play-off with a side from the North, Central American and Caribbean zone.
Elsewhere on Sunday, John Pantsil played at right-back for an experienced Ghana side featuring the likes of Michael Essien and Stephen Appiah in a 2-0 home friendly victory against Togo. The friendly match was part of a four-team mini-tournament being staged by Ghana as a warm-up for their hosting duties in the African Cup of Nations in January. To read a round-up of all the Saturday international action, click here.