BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Zeyda Cipra has been very anxious all week for Argentina’s game against France in the World Cup. end that he could not avoid talking about how he felt with his psychologist.
“He told me he felt the same way about the World Cup,” laughs Cipra, a 35-year-old economics student who also owns a pet store in Buenos Aires. “I am very excited and I have terrible anxiety.”
The Argentines woke up on Sunday ready to see the team play in Qatar for their third World Cup title, the first since 1986, amid a feeling of unity and joy that is rare in a country mired in an economic crisis for years and that has been one of the worst inflation rates in the world, almost 100% per year, and where almost four out of 10 live in poverty.
“People are constantly feeling very intense happiness. The cars circulate with the flag. The whole city is dressed in the flag,” said Guillermo Ortiz, a 52-year-old podiatrist. “The crazy thing is that we all stand together and say we want the best, which generally doesn’t happen in this country. It is as if football drew a circle and put us all inside it”.
Argentina last reached the World Cup final in 2014, when they lost to Germany, but apparently everyone in the country agrees that the sense of anticipation and excitement for this game is far greater than there was for that game. game eight years ago in Brazil.
“This has something special because of the situation in the country. The truth is that we are going through a very, very difficult time and we are waiting for this happiness,” said Martín Ferreyra, a 46-year-old plumber. “We are enjoying a break as a society.”
As Argentines prepared for the country’s sixth World Cup final, many were ready to go through some superstitious rituals.
Cipra, for example, will watch the match alone as she has done with all the other World Cup matches, surrounded by her two dogs and two others she is taking care of, all wearing Argentina’s jerseys.
Ortiz will be watching the game with his family and friends in his apartment, where, like any other game, they will hang an 82-foot (25-meter) Argentine flag.
Ortiz’s goal is to later display that flag on the capital’s iconic Obelisk, the traditional site of celebrations that will no doubt fill up after the game whether Lionel Messi’s team win or lose.
“If we lose, we’re still going to celebrate,” Ferreyra said. “We know that there were values and that this is a real team.”
However, few spoke of losing as a real possibility.
“I think this will be ours because the guys have shown that they can adapt to any system of play and can change depending on their opponent,” said Guillermo Darchez, a 43-year-old photographer whose daughter plays for Newell’s youth team. Oldies.
Newell’s is Messi’s former club in Rosario, Argentina’s third-largest city.
“We are all very hungry for victory,” agreed Pablo Jiménez, a 29-year-old waiter at a Rosario restaurant owned by Messi’s family. “I think we’re going to eat them alive.”
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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
