MOSCOW _ France had the advantage on the field Thursday, beating Peru 1-0 to ensure passage to the second round. But Peru had an overwhelming advantage in the streets of Yekaterinburg, where its supporters outnumbered French fans by about 7 to 1.
Peruvians have been waiting since 1982 to see their team play in a World Cup. And even though its stay will be short _ Thursday's loss, its second in as many games, means Peru will go home after the group stage _ many fans had to see it in person, even if they couldn't get into the stadium.
Many fans arrived without tickets and watched the game from a fan zone in a city park.
Before the tournament, FIFA said 43,583 tickets had been sold in Peru. Only six countries bought more.
Angel Carranza, a Peru fan from Dallas, spent about $10,000 to come to Russia, selling his blue Ford Mustang GT to finance the trip.
"It is a high investment," he told a reporter before Peru's tournament opener last week. "But we (were) waiting for decades to put our money in this. If I hadn't come, I would never forgive myself."
