Few fans will have any memory of Peru’s last World Cup appearance, both because it was so long ago, and because it was completely forgettable. In 1982, the South Americans finished bottom of their group without a win, scoring only twice.
Now, after 36 years of watching from home, their followers will travel to the other side of the world with more than just the group stages in mind.
The Andean nation tends to slip under the radar as their more illustrious neighbours steal the headlines, but a successful qualification campaign saw Peru rise to 10th in the FIFA world rankings.
Having reached the unprecedented heights of Pot 2, Peru may consider themselves unlucky to have then drawn France, Australia, and Pot 3’s highest ranked side Denmark.
On paper, Peru will go to head to head with Denmark for second spot, and in the latest round of friendlies, Argentinian manager Ricardo Gareca carefully picked his opponents to give his side a taste of the same technical qualities the Scandinavians possess.
First up was a Croatia side featuring the midfield talents of Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic, ample practice for facing Denmark’s talisman Cristian Eriksen.
As it happened, Peruvian midfielder Renato Tapia was excellent in stifling any creativity in the Croatian midfield, allowing the Europeans to enjoy most of the possession without creating any meaningful chances. A 2-0 win was Peru’s first victory over a UEFA nation in 19 years.
With Iceland up next, Gareca will be disappointed that Everton’s Gylfi Sigurdsson was not available to provide them with a sterner test, though he will take encouragement from having beaten the Euro 2016 quarter-finalists 3-1.
Gareca passed up the opportunity to experiment with youth against Iceland, making just one change after midfielder Yotún was sent off against Croatia. The manager looks like he has decided on his preferred XI, and focused on cohesion by giving them as much time together as possible.
If he does give the likes of Christian Benavente, 23, and Beto Da Silva, 21, a chance, it’ll be in the upcoming friendlies against Scotland and Saudi Arabia. However, Gareca will certainly prioritise giving minutes to top goal scorer Paulo Guerrero, whose six-month ban for failing a drugs test ends shortly.
As for the manager, any decisions are likely to go unchallenged by a fan base and press that reveres him. Gareca has made himself a hero by leading Peru to Russia, and continues to boost his reputation as Peru extended a 12-match unbeaten run which has included a trip to Argentina and a 2-1 win over Uruguay.
This is a team without star quality, but one completely capable of upsetting bigger sides whilst easing past the smaller ones.
Gareca won’t be relying on cagey counter attacking victories, nor will Peruvian fans tolerate the kind of conservative performances that are often expected from underdogs. In qualifying, Peru outscored seven of their nine opponents, including Argentina and Colombia. Fans will expect more of the same in Russia.
The World Cup cannot come soon enough for a country in such fine form, and Peruvians are itching to revisit the dizzying highs they experienced during qualification. The long wait ends soon for a nation desperate for success.