Tens of thousands of jubilant fans poured into the streets of Buenos Aires on Wednesday night after Argentina secured a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over England to book its place in the World Cup final.
The celebrations quickly turned into an outpouring of emotion. Some supporters screamed with joy, others broke down in tears, while the most exuberant raced shirtless through the city's rain-soaked streets despite the winter chill, their bodies painted in Argentina's blue-and-white colors. Fans climbed lamp posts and traffic lights, waved national flags and embraced strangers, many visibly overwhelmed by the magnitude of the moment.
The scenes erupted after Lautaro Martinez struck the winner two minutes into stoppage time in Atlanta, sending the defending champions into Sunday's World Cup final against Spain, where Argentina will bid to retain its title.
"Look around at all these strangers, jumping and dancing together," said Rosana Beto Cruz, a 48-year-old Catholic nun caught in the sea of Argentine fans streaming toward the Obelisk, the city's towering downtown monument, chanting songs, blaring car horns and setting off fireworks.
"The World Cup, our national team, it makes this happen," she added.
The public joy, many fans said, wasn't so much about advancing to the final or defending the title Argentina won four years ago in Qatar as it was about defeating the nation's longtime rival.
Wednesday's semifinal was the latest chapter in a long-running rivalry that has extended beyond the pitch to include Britain's control of the disputed Falkland Islands, which Argentina calls the Malvinas and claims as its sovereign territory.
"This is not just about football, it's about beating the country that broke our hearts," Maria Bertero, 40, said, referring to the disastrous 10-week war in 1982. "My heart still aches for all the young boys who were sent to their deaths."
But awe replaced her sorrow as she reflected on Wednesday's game.
"It's tremendous. It's magic. It makes me proud to be Argentine."
The celebrations in Buenos Aires stood in sharp contrast to recent sentiment on social media, where accusations that FIFA and referees have conspired to help superstar Lionel Messi and Argentina reach the final have fueled resentment toward the reigning champions.
There is no evidence to support those claims, although several officiating decisions have generated controversy.
That has done nothing to diminish Argentines' euphoria.
"All this talk about it being fixed, about FIFA being involved, have they even looked at what's happening on the field? How much we've suffered?" asked Jorge Luis Lema, who watched the match at a downtown bar, where the mood among patrons remained subdued until the 85th minute, when Enzo Fernández's unstoppable goal sparked wild celebrations.
"It's a lie. Football is football," Lema said of the online accusations. "Whoever wins, wins. And Argentina won once again."
The war over the Falkland Islands, which killed 649 Argentines, many of them young conscripts who were underresourced and outgunned by the British military, remains one of the South American nation's darkest chapters.
It also has loomed large in Argentine soccer culture since one of the sport's greatest players, Diego Maradona, led Argentina to victory over England in an epic 1986 World Cup quarterfinal with his notorious "Hand of God" goal, followed minutes later by a breathtaking 58-meter solo run that became known as the "Goal of the Century."
One prominent group of Argentine veterans, seeking to defuse tensions ahead of Wednesday's match, said Maradona's goals "already avenged us," adding, "We have no sporting scores left to settle with England."
But in his first, and likely last, World Cup match against England, the 39-year-old Messi left his own mark, once again living up to Maradona's legacy and the enormous expectations placed upon him by his country. Argentine players held up a large banner after the match that read, "Las Malvinas son Argentinas," or "The Falkland Islands are Argentine."
"Seeing Messi playing football like this, at his age, it just leaves me speechless," said Matias Adorno, 28, one of the countless revelers wearing jerseys bearing Messi's name and the No. 10. "As Argentines, we've always put so much pressure on him. But he's given us absolutely everything."
Along Avenida 9 de Julio, in the heart of the capital, chants of "For the Malvinas, for Diego, for Leo's last one" echoed through the streets. Crowds also bounced in unison to another popular chant dating back decades: "El que no salta es un inglés," or "Whoever doesn't jump is an Englishman."
The celebrations provided a rare moment of catharsis that many Argentines, divided under libertarian President Javier Milei and accustomed to recurring economic crises, said was desperately needed.
"It is just pure joy, especially given the really difficult moment we're going through right now, with life being so expensive, with this president who's dividing us," said Yanina Quinteros, 40, celebrating with her 6-year-old daughter perched on her shoulders, her hands covering the child's ears from the explosions of firecrackers. "All of us, grandparents, children, mothers, fathers, we're all just here to celebrate tonight."
President Javier Milei said he shared in that joy.
"They won a match that is very important from an emotional standpoint," Milei told a radio station after the match. "It's an immense joy, an overwhelming emotion that's impossible to describe."