Overview

• Valera made his first national-team appearance in about 11 months, coming on as a second-half substitute against Chile.
• Peru fell 2-1 on the final play in Santiago, closing an international friendly that opened Manuel Barreto’s interim spell.
• Addressing speculation about his health, Valera said he has a long-standing discomfort managed at Universitario rather than an acute injury.
• He explained he did not play more because he had not trained fully during the week, which led coaches to limit his minutes.
• Barreto said Valera asked to speak in the locker room and, alongside Santamaría, encouraged younger teammates, while Valera publicly defended the Liga 1-heavy squad for competing well.