World Cup: Spain to be welcomed home by million-strong Madrid crowd
Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in Sunday’s final in the US, and are expected to parade the World Cup trophy in Madrid on Monday. A million
Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in Sunday’s final in the US, and are expected to parade the World Cup trophy in Madrid on Monday. A million jubilant Spain supporters are expected to greet their heroes on Monday in Madrid, as the World Cup winners return home after clinching their second star. Spain’s 1-0 victory against Argentina in New Jersey on Sunday, secured by a Ferran Torres strike in extra-time, has sparked an outpouring of national pride in the football-mad country, whose only other World Cup triumph came in 2010. Coach Luis de la Fuente and his squad’s flight had a scheduled landing time in Madrid of 12:50pm (10:50 GMT) with the golden trophy in tow, after a dominant performance with “total control” against a “helpless Argentine side”, according to Spanish daily Marca. Many younger supporters were not yet born when Andres Iniesta’s extra-time goal against the Netherlands secured Spain’s first World Cup in South Africa 16 years ago. On Monday morning, the Castellana, Madrid’s main avenue, bore the marks of a boozy evening – the tarmac strewn with rubbish, beer cans and shards of glass. Among the last remaining supporters, some slept with grins on their faces on the pavement or on benches, while others were still staggering home as cleaning crews worked from the early hours to prepare the route for tonight’s party.
“I didn’t sleep much, because … [of] the celebration and then the tension of the match. I think it was a little more difficult for all of us to fall asleep,” Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida told RNE radio. After landing, the players will be received by King Felipe VI at Zarzuela Palace, on the outskirts of Madrid, according to the mayor. It is not yet known whether the team will be met by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez at the government headquarters, La Moncloa, as he had to make a swift visit to Algeria. Spain’s World Cup winners will enjoy an open-top bus parade, starting at Moncloa and heading to Cibeles Square, the central government’s representative in Madrid, Francisco Martin, told Spanish public television. A ceremony involving the players will then be held at the square, the traditional gathering point for celebrations by the Spanish national team and its supporters. About one million people are expected to line the parade route, with additional security and transport measures planned to handle the crowds, Martin explained. A total of 2,050 police officers and 400 Civil Guard personnel will be deployed, he added. Some supporters who already had only a short night’s sleep are planning to celebrate again, like Bruno Gonzalez del Yerro, a 32-year-old financier.
The BriefWire