How did belief in a Messi comeback shape the crowd’s emotions?

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Belief in a Messi comeback drove Argentines’ emotions from hopeful excitement to grief after Spain beat them 1-0

Argentines’ belief that Lionel Messi could lead another epic comeback shaped the crowd’s emotional arc throughout the match, starting with nervous excitement and rowdy cheers and ending in anguished groans, nailbiting tension, and tears. After Spain beat Argentina 1-0, fans at the Cafe Relax bar in Buenos Aires said the saddest part was that it was almost certainly 39-year-old Messi’s last World Cup. For many, the defeat was also tied to the feeling that this marked the end of Messi’s World Cup era.
The early mood: excitement tied to a possible turnaround
At the start of the game, fans packed bars and public squares in Buenos Aires dressed in blue-and-white flags and jerseys, with “nervous excitement and excited chants” setting the tone. The crowd’s belief in a comeback was reflected in their high-energy reaction early on, before the match tightened.
As the game tightened, anxiety replaced cheers
As Argentina failed to swing the momentum, the mood shifted into “tension by half-time” and a mix of angry shouts and excited chants in the second half. When Enzo Fernandez was sent off after receiving two yellow cards, one woman wailed “Oh no, it can’t be, please, please!”, showing how strongly the crowd still expected a turnaround. Others echoed that expectation, with one fan saying, “We’re champions and we’re going to win.”
The collapse of belief came with extra-time silence
During the final stretch, tension kept building as the crowd held onto the idea that something would happen for them. When Ferran Torres scored a dramatic extra-time goal, the atmosphere changed again, with the goal “cast a pall of silence” over the bar for the last agonising minutes. Even so, applause still broke out for the team, signalling that support remained even as the comeback belief died.
After the final whistle, grief centred on Messi’s World Cup future
After the 1-0 defeat, tears and emptiness dominated, particularly because fans tied the loss to what they saw as Messi’s last chance at a World Cup. Camilo Cichero, 22, said, “I feel empty… because I won’t see him in a World Cup again. This is the last one,” while another supporter said, “This was the last of Messi… it was the very end.” The emotional impact was thus shaped not only by the result, but by the belief that the comeback they wanted was also the end of Messi’s World Cup era.

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How did belief in a Messi comeback shape the crowd’s emotions?

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