Saransk: Peru vs. Denmark

Sunday, June 17, 2018
A local police officer asked for a photo, Saransk, Russia
After landing in Moscow and having a quick stopover in Nizhny Novgorod, we finally made it to Saransk and match day for Denmark at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
We had decided to head for the Fan Fest area to watch some of the other matches before going to the stadium.

Cathedral of St. Theodore Ushakov in Saransk, Russia
The main cathedral in Saransk (Cathedral of St. Theodore Ushakov) is the major landmark in Saransk and we took a stroll pass the magnificent structure on our way to the Fan Fest.

Fifa Fan Fest in Saransk, Russia
At the Fan Fest we realized how outnumbered the Danes were. Thousands upon thousands of fans from Peru had shown up to their first World Cup participation in 36 years! We watched a few matches and prepared ourselves for battling the Peruvian fans in the stadium.

Mordovia Arena in Saransk, Russia
Mordovia Arena was built for the 2018 Fifa World Cup and has a capacity of 44.442 spectators. The walk to the stadium had an incredible atmosphere and there was no doubt, that Peru had come to Saransk for the victory in what could be the most crucial match of Group C.

Peru vs. Denmark in Saransk, Russia
We had gotten seats so close to the pitch I actually had to walk up the rows to take a decent photo of the arena. The match was nervous and there was a lot of mistakes from the players. Schmeichel played like a star however and kept Denmark in the game. The 35.000 Peruvian fans easily controlled the loudness in the stadium against the 700 Danes, but it felt like we were more enthusiastic and there was rarely a quiet moment in the small group of Danish fans. Right before halftime Peru got a penalty after a VAR-decision. Luckily Christian Cueva had noticed Schmeichel's qualities as he missed the goal by several meters. Peru could've decided the game on several occations during the second half, but in minute 59' Eriksen passed the ball to Yussuf Poulsen and BAM the group of 700 Danish fans exploded as Poulsen slided on his knees towards us with clenched fists.

Saransk Railway Station, Russia
The first game is in the bag and we're now headed to Sankt Petersburg with a 30-hour train for some sightseeing before we're taking on the Aussies in Samara. The World Cup is now officially kicked-off!


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