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BONDY, France – Cheers were heard from Calais to Marseille when the final second passed and France was the undisputed winner of the 2018 Men's World Cup final on Sunday.
Horned cars, noisemakers went smoke and smoke bombs sent blue, red and white currents in the air. French flags appeared at the windows, thrown over people's shoulders and flying through the windows of the car, against the backdrop of a huge rippling of the Arc de Triomphe. People were jumping on the roofs of cars and the crowd was invading the Champs-Elysees.
But it was in the low-income suburbs of Paris with names like Bondy, Suresnes and Lagny-sur-Marne. "From time to time, we are united, we are a country, a people," said Linda Bourja, 41, who has postponed her summer vacation in Brittany to watch. the final in Bondy, a predominantly immigrant suburb outside Paris where 19-year-old football star Kylian Mbappé grew up.
"It does not happen too often, it's true, it should happen more, true". "But today is a day for all of us, for Mbappé, for Bondy, for France, wherever we come from."
Women in hijab cheering a priest, families with children in arms and teenage girls with red, white and blue French flag painted on their cheeks jumped up and down. People burst into "La Marseillaise", the national anthem, some hugged each other and others climbed on the roofs waving flags
On the Champs-Elysées, young men are refugees in bus shelters and kiosks. kept a close eye on intersections. The television crews trying to conduct an interview were assaulted by happy fans who piled into the game. Fans who walked from Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe chanted: "We are the champions."
A few hours after the end of the match, the crowd was still supported, encouraged by the projection of the name of each player. , face and hometown on the Arc de Triomphe
A photo circulating on Twitter showed President Emmanuel Macron, who was attending the match in Russia, in a rare moment of abandonment, leaping from his seat and projecting his fist in the air.
It was far from the mood on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia, which lost the match against the French, 4-2. Although the spirits were raised all week in anticipation of the match, the hopes were erased with a goal of Mbappé, the fourth of France, in the 65th minute.
The lugubrious celebration has turned into a quieter reflection. There were tears and sadness, but still a great sense of pride. They had misunderstood. They had gone farther than expected. Just like the little nation itself, they had endured.
"All of Croatia has been so happy during these four days," said Esma Konjhodzic, 63, who lives in the old city of Dubrovnik. "I think we can still celebrate for a few more days in second place."
In Zagreb, the capital, a crowd of nearly 50,000 people filled one of the main squares. Despite the defeat of the team, it was a day of pride for the Croatians – including some who live as far away as Australia and who have returned for the match.
"We did not give up," Dinko Regula said. former professional water polo player watching the match in the main square of Zagreb. "That's the message for the politicians," he said, as a procession of cars slammed their horns behind him. "Look at this, see what we can do together, we could move mountains."
In France, there was almost a delirium.
The crowd of nearly 100,000 people in front of the Eiffel Tower looked from afar as a huge patchwork flowing down to the Champs-Elysees, where there were so many people that it was difficult to walk .
Even though the game brought together French of different ethnicities and races, it was also a match for the younger generation
We are about 98 years old, "said Mathys Marquis, 14, referring to the last victory of France in World Cup two decades ago. "Now it's our generation."
Wearing blue, white and red glasses, with a French flag around his neck, he had come with family members to celebrate what he called a "joyous" but "chaotic" atmosphere.
On the field, it was not any match, nor even any final, for France. It was a chance to redeem the nation's defeats in Portugal in the final of the European Championship 2016 and in Italy during the 2006 World Cup final. Both had left French football fans, and many who just wanted France to win on the world stage, feeling that the team could not go to the end.
Spectators flocked to bars and cafes, as well as 230 "fan zones" across France, some with more than half a dozen giant screens showing the game. Mars, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, welcomes 90,000 people.
Settled in small towns as well as in the larger cities of Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Bordeaux, these areas have allowed anyone who can have a free seat to see the game, even those who could never to afford to attend
With so many people on the streets and excitement at a feverish stage, some urban bus lines stopped the service to prevent people from trying to get on the buses. bus roofs, and many taxis stayed at home for the same reason. In Paris, police used tear gas to disperse crowds near fan areas
France had put almost all its security forces in service, said Interior Minister Gerard Collomb, whose 12,000 in the streets of Paris.
In Marseille, fans gathered on the Old Port, the natural harbor of the Mediterranean city, and some jumped to the water when France won.
More inside, in Aix-en-Provence, the Cours Mirabeau packed with supporters. In Lyon, fans flooded the central square Bellecour, although a rain storm threatened to darken the city. And while the holiday season was in full swing, campground and vacationers from the Côte d'Azur huddled around the televisions to watch the game.
Aussan Benaissa, 40, who watched the match in Paris with his 8-year-old son. , said that he felt a special pride in the star turned by young players from the suburbs. It was a moment to be proud to be an immigrant – his father was Algerian – instead of feeling like a stranger.
"These are young men whose parents came from North Africa," said Benaissa. "We feel more French with them."
In Bondy, even before the final whistle blew, Wael Benzoura, 8, anticipated the joy: He started dancing on his mother's shoulders. On his back his mother had painted the number 10 and the name Mbappé in the honor of his son's favorite player.
"We are champions," she said with a smile. "I can not believe what's going on."
"What a message to the world," added Ms. Benzoura. "Look what Kylian did … Look what the French have come to accomplish."
Follow Alissa J. Rubin, Elian Pelter and Aurelian Breeden on Twitter: @Alissanyt @ElianPeltier and @aurelienbrd .
Elian Peltier reports from Bondy, and Alissa J. Rubin and Aurelien Breeden from Paris. Reporting was contributed by Marc Santora from Dubrovnik, Croatia; James Piotr Montague from Zagreb; and Tanguy Garrel-Jaffrelot of Paris.
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