“We are in the final, we are in the final!”hundreds of supporters gathered spontaneously despite the cold on the famous Parisian avenue, while the cars going down the Champs-Elysées sounded their horns.
“It’s a party, we won, we’re in the final. For me, we definitely win (Sunday’s final, editor’s note), this star is ours, I wanted to experience it on the Champs, it’s once in a lifetime”, told AFP Anna Issa, 18, who came from Reunion to Paris “for lack of going to Qatar”. “I’m very happy to be back in the final, it’s the second time in four years (after 2018)”, added Sylvain Badin, 24. And what a pleasure to find Argentina (in the final). I came to share a moment of joy,” he added before folding and putting away his French flag in an attempt to find a friend.
Earlier in the match, a few dozen Moroccan supporters had gathered, with their country’s starred red flag on their backs to follow the match on their mobile phones. “We lost, but it’s still just football, we made history by going to the semi-finals (…) We are proud of our country and happy for France”insisted Kamal Seddiki, a 22-year-old Moroccan student. When France doubled the bet by Kolo Muani (79th), the goal was greeted by a CRS bus which triggered its siren. The atmosphere remained good-natured with the heavy presence of police and gendarmes, some equipped with helmets and shields.
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