Argentina's top online newspaper 'Buenos Aires Times' has made headline encouraging thousands of Bangladehshi Argentina football fans today.
Buenos headline said "Chants of 'Messi, Messi' as Bangladeshis celebrate Argentina's World Cup triumph."
'Hundreds of thousands of people defy chilly temperatures to watch Argentina-France match on giant screens set up in Dhaka's key squares, roads and football grounds', it also said.
The article says:
Bangladeshi football fans chanted "Messi, Messi," shedding tears of joy and dancing in the streets to celebrate the triumph of Argentina – a country half a world away – over France in the World Cup final Sunday.
According to police, hundreds of thousands of people defied chilly temperatures to watch the match on giant screens set up in the capital Dhaka's key squares, roads and football grounds.
Many wore Argentina's sky-blue-and-white national colours and sported Lionel Messi's iconic number 10 shirt.
"I don't know why I am crying, but I am crying for him," Nafiun Rahman Zian, an 18-year old Messi fan.
"Years of wait [is over] to see the love of my life, the little magician, hold the most prestigious trophy which he desired so much," he said.
Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority country of 170 million people, is cricket mad, with its national team one of the best in the world.
It is, however, ranked among the bottom in global football.
But every four years during the World Cup, the country renews its love affair with the sport, as many young people divide themselves largely into two rival groups – one supporting Argentina, the other Brazil.
Sunday's biggest crowd gathered at the Dhaka University campus at the heart of the city, as many people painted the Argentine flag on their cheeks to watch the proceedings from Qatar.
The crowd became ecstatic when Messi scored the first goal of the game, with a penalty.
"I just can't express how happy I am," said Imon Gazi, wiping his eyes after Argentina's Ángel Di María scored to make it 2-0.
Source Buenos Aires Times
BDST: 1645 HRS, DEC 19, 2022
MSK/SMS
