SPANISH FANS poured across the Liffey and climbed the O’Connell Memorial to celebrate their country’s victory in the World Cup final last night.
A sea of red and blue washed through Temple Bar as Dublin’s Spanish community revelled in their country’s first ever World Cup win.
Rafa Cabrera, from Cordoba, attributed the victory to Spain’s “hunger”, while his friend, Francesco Argenzio from Napoli in Italy, said he was sure Spain would win. “The way in which Spain play football is the best in the world. I have been adopted by my Spanish friends!”
There was a tangible party atmosphere in pubs, cafés and restaurants in the hours leading up to kick-off as the Spanish fans, who easily outnumbered their Dutch counterparts, waited eagerly for the match to begin.
Spain’s failure to hit top gear in the competition thus far was clearly not a cause for concern, with supporters exuding an air of confidence before the game.
In particular, the weight of the Spanish expatriates’ expectations was placed firmly on the shoulder of striker David Villa, who had scored five of his team’s seven goals in the tournament. In the end it was his Barcelona teammate Andrés Iniesta who delivered his country the Jules Rimet trophy with a dramatic injury-time strike.
The Spanish adopted The Button Factory in Temple Bar as their own for the night, and the venue was filled before kick off. Those who were turned away watched the match in nearby establishments, every one of which was packed.
Marta Llopis, from Madrid, who is in Ireland studying English, said at half time that Spain would win 1-0. “If Spain win I will have beer with my friends here.”
Anna Lluch from Barcelona was pleased with her local side’s contribution to the effort. “Spain is playing very well, and there are a lot of players from Barca, and this is very good. It’s not like Spain here. The atmosphere here is good tonight, and every night. In Spain we shout more and we are crazy when we watch the match”.
Antonio from Madrid was coy about his celebration plans. “I cannot say in case my manager reads this!”