Argentines explode with joy over 'epic' World Cup victory
Hundreds of Argentine fans, many originally from the South American country, celebrated the World Cup victory in Tel Aviv
Watching soccer icon Lionel Messi inspire Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar on Sunday made the economic suffering engulfing the country "worth it," according to ecstatic fans.
Fireworks cracked, car horns sounded, and fans draped in the national blue and white colors sang, danced, and waved flags both in Argentina and abroad.
Hundreds of Argentine fans, many originally from the South American country, celebrated the World Cup victory in Tel Aviv. A lot of them gathered in the city's main Dizengoff street, dancing and waving the Argentine flag, dressed in its blue and white colors. They chanted Messi's name calling him a "Maccabean hero," while some jumped into the water fountain on the Dizengoff square.
https://x.com/i/web/status/1604541461445255169
This post can't be displayed because social networks cookies have been deactivated. You can activate them by clicking .
Messi scored two goals against France as the game ended 3-3 after extra time, with Kylian Mbappe bagging a hat-trick for the reigning champions. Messi also netted in the shootout, but goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was the hero saving one penalty before Gonzalo Montiel banged in the winning spot-kick to send Argentine players and fans into raptures.
"I can't believe it, I can't believe it," repeated Joel Ciarallo over and again before the final had finished. It was their "destiny to suffer. It's a condition of being Argentine," he added from a cafe in Buenos Aires.
"Epic, this is epic, all of Argentine history is suffering like this," said a fan watching the game on a giant screen in the capital’s Centenario park.
Watching the World Cup final and dreaming about winning was a much-needed exercise in escapism for citizens of a country that has suffered years of economic turmoil due to spiraling inflation. Some 40 percent of the 45 million population lives in poverty and currency devaluation has caused havoc with disposal income.
"Argentina is a country that is suffering, that is going through an economic rollercoaster where it's always hard to make ends meet at the end of the month," said Agustin Acevedo, a construction worker who came to Buenos Aires to watch the final.
But "it's perfect, everything we've suffered has been worth it for this. Let's be clear, Argentina is in trouble, economically, socially, it's bad. So this distraction is richly deserved," he said.