The Peruvian team faced its Canadian counterpart in a duel valid for the second day of group A of the Copa America 2024. From the start, the Americans took possession of the ball and proposed the game with a long possession. For his part, the 'two-tone' They tried to take advantage of the mistakes in the center of the field with separate attacks that did not cause much danger in the opponent's area. But beyond the opportunities generated, what caused concern was the fainting of the linesman, Humberto Panjoj, due to the infernal heat of Kansas City, in the United States.

This happened 49 minutes into the first half. Just when the game had been extended due to stoppages occurring. The North American team had the ball and attempted to break the deadlock shortly after halftime. Moses Bombito played from defense with Alistair Johnston. The right back aligned and unloaded with Ismaël Koné.

Watford midfielder given infringement Wild Cartagena three-quarters of the Peruvian pitch, and referee Mario Escobar took a free kick for the 'red'. Between Alphonso Davies and Stephen Eustaquio, they stood in front of the ball, although it was the Bayern Munich player who took the shot that went beyond the area. 'Inca'.

Suddenly, the broadcast camera focused on Mario Escobar's second assistant, Humberto Panjoj, who was unconscious and helped by Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, who urgently requested medical attention. And the high temperatures in Kansas City, which reached 34 degrees, but with a wind chill of 39 degrees, took their toll on the referee who was in the area where he received direct sunlight.

Medical personnel authorized by the organization rushed quickly to treat the linesman and get him back on his feet. The 22 footballers present on the field were surprised, but at the same time, they went to hydrate and spoke with their respective coaches to receive some instructions.

After being helped by paramedics, he had to be evacuated with assistance while receiving applause from fans in the stands celebrating his recovery. On paper, the one who should have taken his place was the Ecuadorian Augusto Aragón or, failing that, Ricardo Barén, who served as fourth and fifth referee respectively.

At the press conference before Peru vs Canada, Jorge Fossati had warned of the extreme heat that was going to occur at Children's Mercy Park and assured that the high temperatures would affect both teams, but that “we don't have the solution, we can't put an awning or a fan over the players' heads. What we can do is, from the inside of our heads, we prepare to overcome the difficulties.

And so, the DT changes to the training schedule on June 23: it is scheduled for 5:00 p.m., but the heat goes to 40 degrees, so you will be scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Hours.

There Peruvian team will play again on Saturday, June 29, for date 3 of Group A of the Copa América 2024. This time, their rival will be Argentina at the Hard Rock Stadium, located in the city of Miami, United States.

A duel that would define the chances of the national team in the continental tournament in search of a place in the quarter-finals.