Clarín in Chile: Messi achieved the impossible and Santiago dressed in blue and white

Cristian drives a Didi to Santiago, a service through a Chinese app similar to Uber, and listens to the final between the Argentina national team and France on Radio Cooperativa. “I would like the Trans-Andean team to win because they have a good team”, he comments. In his family, however, everyone supports the team of Mbappé and Griezmann, but he goes with his neighbors and bets 25,000 pesos (about $28) that Argentina will be champions in Qatar 2022.

At minute 23 the Radio Cooperative speaker says “criminal, criminal”. Cristian turns up the volume on the radio, interrupts the conversation with his partner, just imagine Lionel Messi kicking the penalty “Goal for Messi,” shouted the speaker.

“More than for Argentina it is for Messi, the best in history”, says Javier Montel, a Venezuelan who with four friends watches the game at Bar Alameda in the center of the capital. In this the beers run as much as the Argentinian footballers in the first half. More than 150 people watch the match on one of the venue’s three screens.

More than 66,000 Argentines live in Chile who mostly watched the final in a bar with a beer or on television. The match was watched by more than four million people on television. “For Latin American solidarity we are with Argentina”says Philip Constancio. Even the president of the republic, Gabriel Boric, sent a message of support for the Trans-Andean team.

“Sociologically, I think France should win because the Argentines will alienate their crisis if they win.”says Chilean Alejandro Munita, who is not a football fan, but the atmosphere in the bar fascinated him and he stayed to watch the final.

In Santiago you experience the football atmosphere, on the streets you see Argentine flags, River Plate, Boca Juniors and blue shirts. Despite Chile failing to qualify for a World Cup for the second consecutive time, Chileans fill the bars of the capital and a radio broadcasts the match on every corner.

“Goal by Di Maria”, the narrator is heard shouting. “The noodle is a car,” Cristian says and honks his vehicle’s horn. There are 54 minutes to go and the feeling is that Argentina will be world champions, Messi retires with the cup and after 36 years the Transandini (as they tell us from that part of the Cordillera) are number one again. “Matches are played to the end, two goals can be scored,” said Javier Montiel.

Nervousness Hundreds of Argentines start the second half and some who wear albiceleste just for today with a Quilmes beer in hand fill the Pizzeria Argentina, located in the gastronomic Barrio Italia of Santiago, everything is partying, singing and shouting. Argentina won 2-nil, but Kylian Mbappé interrupted the party with two goals in the 80th and 81st minutes.

The mood fell among the spectators present, some insults were heard against Mbappé, the 30-minute delay made nervousness palpitate. The Chileans present, with several beers in the body, take care of singing and calming the tension.

Teresa Soto and her son are entrusted to an altar placed on one of the tables where there is a photograph of Messi, a figure of San Expedito and a lit candle. “They have to help us win from above,” says Teresa.

Every time Messi and his companions approach the French goal, a scream is heard which is interrupted when the ball does not go over the crossbar.

“I’m on the edge”confesses Cristina Toco, an Argentine actress who has lived in Chile for more than forty years. She admits she doesn’t know much about football, but she thinks it was a shame for Scaloni to eliminate Di Maria. “He is fundamental and with the problem we have in Argentina we deserve to win,” she declared.

“Messi, Messi”, the hundreds of fans who flocked shout, the horns and chants in favor of the albiceleste can be heard throughout the block. Quilmes beers blow up listening to Messi’s second goal and eighth in the World Cup after 108 minutes.

the happiness was short-lived

Suddenly the referee kicks the first penalty against Argentina, Mbappé kicks and it’s a goal. “I hope Argentina comes back,” says Karina Armani, who, like a cabal, kneels. Hearing Mbappé’s goal, she dropped a couple of insults, the occasional tear, doesn’t take off her cell phone where, through WhatsApp audio, she comments on the match with her family who are on the other side of the chain mountainous. “The final was very stressful,” she comments.

to sanctions

The twelve passes have a bitter taste for the Argentines, who recall the fateful Copa América final, lost on penalties against Chile. “Draw, draw”, is heard every time a French player is in front of the Trans-Andean goal. The penalty kicked by Gonzalo Montiel unleashes passion, Chileans and Argentines embrace each other, some kiss and others cry with emotion as they see the albiceleste raise the cup.

“It was an incredible emotion, I can’t stop crying, this goes to Maradona,” says Claudia Aranda, who hugs and cries when she sees Argentina as champions.

Carnival Argentines, Chileans and Latin Americans in general wore the albiceleste and went to celebrate in Plaza Baquedano, historic place of celebrations in Chile, located a few steps from the Argentine embassy, ​​where a giant screen was set up to watch the meeting .

“I wore the Argentine shirt for love”says Verónica Contreras, who is Chilean and has been dating an Argentinian for four months.

Others have decided to go to the square to celebrate with the Chilean team shirtOne of the few who dared was Miguel Diaz, his sister lived on the other side of the mountain range for more than 16 years and his brother-in-law is Argentine-Brazilian and they joke that they are the “Mercosur Family”. “It’s important that the cup stays in South America,” he says.

The square was filled with white and blue, dozens of people climbed up to the monument located in the center of the roundabout to sing “viva Argentina” between the bass drums and the cumbia villera that resounded loudly. The day ended without major incidents.

The albiceleste transformed the streets of Santiago into a carnival, in a country no longer so accustomed to football victories this final was experienced as its own.