Guerrero eyes history as Peru power past Paraguay for third place

Peru secured their second-straight third-place finish at the Copa America with a 2-0 victory over 2011 runners-up Paraguay on Friday.

The result marks Peru's best back-to-back tournament results since the 1979 and 1983 editions, and Ricardo Gareca's men will like to carry that momentum into the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

The game started slow, and the first half went by without much incident, with both teams unwilling to push numbers forward in search of a goal.

The game picked up after the break, however.

In the 48th minute, Andre Carrillo collected a loose ball from a corner and, while falling down, fired a right-footed shot into the lower right corner of Paraguay keeper Justo Villar's net.

Paolo Guerrero, who is looking to become the first back-to-back Golden Boot winner at the Copa America since 1924, then capped the scoring in the 89th minute, punching in a sweeping Joel Sanchez cross between Villar's legs.

The goal was of increased personal significance as well, as it gave the Flamengo man sole possession of second on Peru's all-time goals list, just one behind the legendary Teofilo Cubillas who netted 26 for his career.

The former Bayern Munich forward finishes the tournament with four goals -- on par with Chile's Eduardo Vargas, who will take part in Saturday's final against Argentina.