World Cup: Hundreds of thousands of fans pour onto streets of Buenos Aires after Argentina beat France
Argentina’s triumph in the World Cup final has sent hundreds of thousands of ecstatic fans pouring out onto the streets of Buenos Aires.
The rollercoaster game saw Lionel Messi’s team give up leads of 2-0 and 3-2 before ultimately prevailing over France in a nail-biting penalty shootout.
Messi finally won the biggest prize in football – the only trophy to have eluded him – and it was he that fans back home called out for their victory.
Argentina fans are pictured climbing street lights as they celebrate winning
“I can’t believe it! It was difficult, but we did it, thanks to Messi,” said Santiago, 13, as he celebrated with his family outside the former home of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona.
Bearing flags, hats and the country’s iconic blue-and-white jerseys, fans took over Buenos Aires’ downtown and other iconic spots within minutes of the win.
“It is an immense joy after so much tension,” said lawyer Nicolas Piry, 46.
“The harmony between the team, headed by a leader who plays at a level making him the best in the world, and the players’ condition in general led us to this well-deserved success. Let’s go Argentina!” he added.
There were similar scenes of jubilation among Argentina fans who had travelled to Qatar for the tournament.
“Probably for the people of my generation one of the biggest things we have ever lived (through),” one supporter told Sky News.
“I thought I died for a moment, my heart stopped for a minute. It was a battle until the last minute.”
There were more sombre scenes in the French capital, where dreams of two World Cup titles in a row for Les Bleus were dashed in heart-breaking fashion.
In the packed Belushi sports bar in Paris, some stood still, shaking their heads in disbelief in the match’s aftermath as Kylian Mbappe’s historic hat-trick brought France just short of glory.
“To lose on penalties is horrible,” said high school student Ousman Diaw, who used his French flag to shield him from the rain as he headed home.
“Messi deserves it though. He’s a good player and he had done everything except this.”
“It’s so disappointing. We came back and believed we could do it,” said supporter Romain Cyne.
Riot police were seen moving towards fans along the Champs Elysee in Paris and in Nice, small fires were seen in one street as a group of people congregated with one holding a flare, as local media reported clashes.
In Boulogne, scenes of violence were reported with police using tear gas.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who watched the match from the stands, later consoled Mbappe on the pitch.
“‘Les Bleus’ let us dream,” the President tweeted.
Footballing legend Pele, who has received well-wishes from players during the tournament concerned for his health, said the match was “enthralling”.
He said on Instagram: “What a gift it was to watch this spectacle to the future of our sport.
“And I couldn’t fail to congratulate Morocco for the incredible campaign. It’s great to see Africa shine.
“Congratulations Argentina! Certainly Diego is smiling now.”
Messi’s club teammate Neymar posted his congratulations on Instagram, as social media was awash with people crowning the Argentine the greatest player of all time.
Meanwhile, tweets came in praising Messi from the likes of Declan Rice and Andy Murray, who tweeted: “Is messi the best athlete of all time? Forget just football. What a man.”
World
Trump criticises Putin after potentially ‘historic’ meeting with Zelenskyy before Pope’s funeral
Donald Trump has criticised Vladimir Putin and suggested a shift in his stance towards the Russian president after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the Pope’s funeral.
The Ukrainian president said the one-on-one talks could prove to be “historic” after pictures showed him sitting opposite Mr Trump, around two feet apart, in the large marble hall inside St Peter’s Basilica.
The US president said he doubted his Russian counterpart’s willingness to end the war after leaving Rome after the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Follow live updates: 200,000 mourn at Vatican
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said “there was no reason” for the Russian president “to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days”.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
He added: “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”
The meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was their first face-to-face encounter since a very public row in the Oval Office in February.
Mr Zelenskyy said he had a good meeting with Mr Trump in which they talked about the defence of the Ukrainian people, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and a durable and lasting peace that would prevent the war restarting.
Other images released by the Ukrainian president’s office show Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were present for part of the talks, which were described as “positive” by the French presidency.
Mr Zelenskyy‘s spokesman said the meeting lasted for around 15 minutes and he and Mr Trump had agreed to hold further discussions later on Saturday.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica
But the US president left Rome for Washington on Air Force One soon after the funeral without any other talks having taken place.
The Ukrainian president’s office said there was no second meeting in Rome because of the tight schedule of both leaders, although he had separate discussions with Mr Starmer and Mr Macron.
The French president said in a post on X “Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire” and that a so-called coalition of the willing, led by the UK and France, would continue working to achieve a lasting peace.
There was applause from some of the other world leaders in attendance at the Vatican when Mr Zelenskyy walked out of St Peter’s Basilica after stopping in front of the pontiff’s coffin to pay his respects.
Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president met for the first time since their Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters
Sir Tony Brenton, the former British ambassador to Russia, said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian leader.
He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine.
Professor Father Francesco Giordano told Sky News the meeting is being called “Pope Francis’s miracle” by members of the clergy, adding: “There’s so many things that happened today – it was just overwhelming.”
The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Mr Putin at the Kremlin.
They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
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Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks since the early weeks of the war, which began in February 2022.
Mr Trump has claimed a deal to end the war is “very close” and has urged Mr Zelenskyy to “get it done” in a post on his Truth Social platform.
He has previously warned both sides his administration would walk away from its efforts to achieve a peace if the two sides do not agree a deal soon.
Meanwhile, the Polish armed forces said a Russian military helicopter violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea on Friday evening.
“The nature of the incident indicates that Russia is testing the readiness of our air defence systems,” they said in a post on X.
On an extraordinary day, remarkable pictures on the margins that capture what may be a turning point for the world.
In a corner of St Peter’s Basilica before the funeral of Pope Francis, the leaders of America and Ukraine sit facing each other in two solitary chairs.
They look like confessor and sinner except we cannot tell which one is which.
Leaning forward hands together in their laps, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy stare at each other in one photo.
In another, the Ukrainian president seems to be remonstrating with the US president. This is their first encounter since their infamous bust-up in the Oval Office.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
Other pictures show the moment their French and British counterparts introduced the two men. There is a palpable sense of nervousness in the way the leaders engage.
We do not know what the two presidents said in their brief meeting.
But in the mind of the Ukrainian leader will be the knowledge President Trump has this week said America will reward Russia for its unprovoked brutal invasion of his country, under any peace deal.
Mr Trump has presented Ukraine and Russia with a proposal and ultimatum so one-sided it could have been written in the Kremlin.
Kyiv must surrender the land Russia has taken by force, Crimea forever, the rest at least for now. And it must submit to an act of extortion, a proposed deal that would hand over half its mineral wealth effectively to America.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Afterwards, Zelenskyy said it had been a good meeting that could turn out to be historic “if we reach results together”.
They had talked, he said, about the defence of Ukraine, a full and unconditional ceasefire and a durable and lasting peace that will prevent a war restarting.
The Trump peace proposal includes only unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine from countries that do not include the US. It rules out any membership of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s allies are watching closely to see if Mr Trump will apply any pressure on Vladimir Putin, let alone punish him for recent bloody attacks on Ukraine.
Or will he simply walk away if the proposal fails, blaming Ukrainian intransigence, however outrageously, before moving onto a rapprochement with Moscow.
If he does, America’s role as guarantor of international security will be seen effectively as over.
This could be the week we see the world order as we have known it since the end of the Second World War buried, as well as a pope.
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