Nothing unties a place more than a football or, as they would say in the US, a soccer match. This author was lucky enough to experience the match of Spain’s triumph over Argentina, winning the FIFA World Cup final for the second time, 2010 being the first. The energy in the streets before, after, and during the match was insane.

Before the match, most of the city was outside, people were getting food, meeting up with friends, and even buying last-minute Spain gear, including some plastic horns that you not only heard all day, but all night after the win. The weather in Valencia was cloudy, and there was an air of anticipation and nervousness, but excitement everywhere. The match was at 9p.m., and if you know anything about the soccer matches in Valencia, if you want a seat in the Plaza, a restaurant, or a pub, you must be early. By 5 pm, the main plaza was filling up.

I stopped into ‘Five Guys’ next to the main square (food just as good as it is in my US hometown), and the restaurant was swamped with orders and people. My friend and I quickly rushed to Finnegan’s Pub, a great spot for soccer games, as they have a lot of 10 TVs. The pub was filling up 3 hours before the game.

As the game started, VAMOS ESPAÑA chants filled all the bars, plazas, and homes. The crowd in the main plaza was so big that people were climbing trees to catch a glimpse of the game. There were so many people that the plaza screen was buffering, and the internet was down for most of the game, which went into overtime, an excruciating extra 30 minutes of match time.

When the first 90 minutes ended, it was 0-0, but Spain was dominating, Argentina had 2 measly shots, not on target the entire game, and Spain was in control of the ball for most of the time. After exiting the Pub when the power went out at 75 minutes, this author ran to the plaza to push her way through and grab a glimpse of the screen. Standing tall on toppy toes, I caught the end of the match. The crowd was hot, everyone was sweating and exhausted, albeit probably not as exhausted as the players looked after kicking the ball around for 2 hours.

The final minutes of the game were painful and exciting. Spain had multiple goals taken away for reasons the crowd did not understand. There was a controversial VAR call, of course, a ridiculous flop from an Argentinian defenseman that was ruled as a foul, and another I cannot recall. But at the 106^th minute, Spain did it.  The Valencian-born and bred Ferran Torres scored the winning goal 1 minute after the second half of overtime began!

And it was beautiful.

The whole country lit up. Argentina couldn’t keep up, couldn’t get shots off against the Spanish defense. And in the final minutes, all of Valencia was screaming the countdown.

As you can imagine, the celebration was like nothing I have ever witnessed. For 15 minutes, there was pure ecstasy in the air; no one was ready to go home, and everyone was revelling in the win. The plaza was full for hours. Walking down any street in Valencia, especially if you are wearing a Spain shirt, you are greeted by countless cheers and the pure bliss of the Spanish citizens.

Cars all down the street were honking for Spain while flying flags, stuck in horrendous traffic jams. This win will continue to inspire the Spanish people, and I can personally attest that the people of Valencia, especially, were ecstatic.

Report by Bridget Callahan

Article copyright ‘24/7 Valencia’

Photos copyright  Bridget Callahan