World Cup 2018: Peru bow out of the World Cup with support not seen in decades

Gabe Fernandez

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World Cup 2018: Peru bow out of the World Cup with support not seen in decades image

Four minutes of stoppage time in the second-half of a one-goal, must-win game normally inspires hope in the losing team’s fans and players that a late draw, or even winner, is possible against all odds.

When the electronic number board lit up with a bright red "4" in the 90th minute of Peru’s match against France on Thursday, that hope just wasn’t there.

Peru’s national team didn’t necessarily give up in those 240 seconds, but the players seemed to understand that their fate was pretty much sealed. Though France hadn’t exactly played up to its star-studded potential, La Blanquirroja was unable to convert any of the their 10 shots for the team’s first goal, and potential match points, of the tournament.

The 1-0 loss put Peru at the bottom of Group C, and out of contention to advance to the knockout round.

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Unsurprisingly, the camera panned to the many crying faces of Peruvian fans, who were gutted to see their team bow out of the World Cup. But tears aren’t anything new for Peruvians. A team that was once constantly competing in the knockout stages of the World Cup has been the pinnacle of frustration and defeat over the past three decades.

“I grew up seeing Perú making it to the World Cup without major problems,” my dad said to me in a text.

Since last qualifying for the 1982 tournament in Spain, it’s been over three decades of disappointment and tragedy. The team’s qualifying campaign for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico came up short after losing to arch-rivals Chile 5-2 in the CONMEBOL playoff.

One year later, a plane carrying Peruvian club Alianza Lima crashed into the Pacific Ocean, which killed 43 of the 44 passengers aboard.

"I don't even remember where I was or what I was when I found out," my uncle, Carlos Castro, told me in a Facebook message. "I just remember this nationwide sadness that affected everyone. It was a hard blow for everyone emotionally."

Oscar Guerra, a Peruvian soccer fan and family friend, said the tragedy was something Peru was not equipped to recover from.

“Many of those players were supposed to be the new generation that took over for the old guard of the 1982 World Cup roster,” he said. “Those who were left simply didn’t have the comparable talent to those kids and the transition wasn’t smooth.”

In Peru’s next seven qualification attempts, there was always something to give fans a reason to lose faith in the team.

In the first qualification campaign after the crash, Peru lost all of their games and scored just two goals. The team almost qualified for the 1998 tournament, but a 4-0 loss to Chile in Santiago caused them to miss it on goal difference. In the 2002 preliminaries, Peru mustered just four wins in 18 games, and they weren’t much better in 2006. The 2010 qualifying campaign was perhaps the first instance where Peru had the talent to easily qualify, but the team’s most talented players chose to party instead of train before their biggest games.

But even if there was a Peruvian who had no knowledge of the national team’s recent history, cultural norms would indicate an expectation of failure during that particular span anyways. The 80’s and 90’s were an era marked by corruption, President Alberto Fujimori, and terrorism, said Guerra. He added, “It was a terrible time to be in the country.”

“My generation was greatly affected by these problems,” Guerra said. “We had no faith, no trust, in anyone who represented the government because they gave us no reason to. The institutional failures of the national team seemed to mirror those in our government and that formed the pessimism that is a big part of my and your father’s generation.”

My dad often talks about how the Fujimori era made him hate being Peruvian and returning home to Lima. It was the reason he emigrated from Peru to the United States in the first place. La Blanquirroja wasn’t worth celebrating because the country wasn’t.

Yet the tears on the faces of Peruvians on Thursday did not appear to be a result of years of pent up anguish. It was pride.

The above tweet translates to "there's no score that diminishes how proud I feel to be Peruvian, nor result that would change the affection I have for this squad. these boys have represented us well."

“Ricardo Gareca put together a team that might not have the superstar names, but certainly has spirit, something we’ve been demanding of the team for quite some time,” said Guerra. “[The players are] proud to put on their jerseys, they cry when they sing the anthem and even when they lose, they’ve shown their best efforts. It inspires us.”

Whether or not this generation of Peruvian players love to play for their country more than those after 1987 is up for debate. My dad believes it’s worth noting that these young players have grown up seeing government officials work to move the country forward, rather than seeing what he saw in his youth. He’ll say there’s more passion and pride in the country than there has ever been, and it’s hard to disagree.

The supportive goodwill even extends into the international community. Paolo Guerrero, Peru's all-time leading goal-scorer, was allowed to play in the tournament only after the captains of Peru's World Cup opponents petitioned FIFA to temporarily lift his 14-month suspension for a failed drug test.

MORE: Guerrero to give Jedinak 'big hug' for help battling ban

Guerra didn’t know at the time of the interview just how right he would be about Peru’s first two World Cup games with his losing efforts comment. Though both ended in 1-0 defeats, Peru was the more dominant side in each occasion. 

There were still moments that could have brought back haunting memories for the fans who have seen it all, of course. Christian Cueva, Peru’s No. 8, missed a penalty that would have put the team up 1-0 early against Denmark; Pedro Aquino’s potential game-tying shot bounced right off the post against France; French keeper Hugo Lloris, and Danish keeper Kasper Schmeichel, each had the games of their lives.

But Cueva was forgiven, Aquino was applauded and Lloris and Schmeichel were given the respect they deserved.

"The team just didn't have any good fortune in those games, but that's just how soccer goes you can't worry about that," my uncle told me.

There was seemingly no shaking the faith of the Peruvians at home or in Russia. Just look at the celebrations before a match that was meaningless to their team.

The players on the pitch didn’t seem to mind that the match meant nothing either. Peruvians were finally rewarded for their patience on Tuesday against Australia when Andre Carillo connected on a volley to score Peru’s first World Cup goal since 1982.

Though the scenario was different, tears once again rolled down the faces of the Peruvians attending the game. This time, the past was certainly included in those emotions. The 36-year wait, combined with the exorcised demons that were created all before this moment, was enough to push anyone to tears.

MORE: Peru makes proud exit with 2-0 win over Australia

As time expired on Peru’s first World Cup victory since 1978, the fans understandably celebrated the occasion more than the players did. Many of the fans have never seen something like this in my lifetime. Others were young the last time it did — my dad was 14 when Peru beat Iran 4-1 in Argentina.

The players had a different perspective. Obviously they were disappointed in not qualifying for the round of 16, but they understand this is only the beginning of what this class of players are capable of. They also know that history has shown that success isn’t a guarantee and that it’ll take effort to get back to an international stage.

If there’s one thing that is certain, however, is that it’s not going to be another 36-year wait for Peru to make it back.

Gabe Fernandez