Argentines wept, Spaniards rejoiced and Pakistanis began trudging to bed late last night as the final whistle of the final game of the FIFA World Cup officially stripped Lionel Messi and his men in blue of their chance to defend their title as champions and crowned La Roja (The Red) kings of the football world.
Congratulations poured in from the world over, including from Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif raised a cheer for Spain and for Palestine. The Palestinians, for their part, were also overjoyed at the victory; we assume Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who was rooting for the Argentines — was not as pleased. Spain has been a vocal supporter of Palestine.
But the reactions to the match started much earlier, with people weirded out by the uniquely American game. The US hosts used the match’s halftime break to put on a show that included the Muppets, BTS and Justin Bieber. That left a lot of European fans scratching their heads.
The play itself drew some reactions, especially the anger shown by Argentine players both during and after the game — Argentina ended the match with four yellow cards and a red for Enzo Fernandez.
