‘England… go f*** yourself!’: How Three Lions’ World Cup semi-final defeat unfolded in Argentina with photos of Lionel Messi on every street corner, the English national anthem drowned out and shops closing early

A few minutes after the final whistle, two paramedics rushed into the pit of joy to carry a young woman who had fainted from excitement. Argentina’s World Cup melodrama continues to surprise locals with its latest twist.

The smell of gunpowder filled the skies of Buenos Aires in the city’s fan zone. While the explosion was taking place in the city, the smell of sulfur came from the fireworks thrown in the parks and streets. They danced the tango and the venue turned into a giant dance floor.

There were tears for Lionel Messi. Tears for their team that gave them hell. Tears for the heroes who once again sent them into the depths of darkness before this proud football nation was covered in technicolour.

Anti-British banners were unfurled well before kick-off outside the Casa Rosada, where Argentina’s First Lady Eva Peron famously addressed her supporters in the 1950s.

The biggest one roughly translated as ‘Inglaterra… go fuck yourself’. Political tensions surrounding this match have been simmering all week. It was more like a state event than a football match.

In La Perensa newspaper, the president’s spokesman, Javier Milei, published a statement after his recent comments about Margaret Thatcher were misinterpreted as admiration for the former prime minister. In 1982, Thatcher authorized a naval task force to liberate the Falkland Islands from Argentina, and that nation never forgave her.

They chanted: ‘Por Malvinas, por el Diego, por la ultima de Leo’. I was given safety advice by my hotel before heading out to watch the match in Palermo.

‘Don’t wear an England shirt, there may be trouble,’ one of the receptionists warned. But when the final whistle blew and everyone here had time to pinch themselves, no one was talking politics.

Cars whizzed through the streets, honking their horns and waving flags, like some kind of riot. You suspect that stores that close early as locals leave their offices at 2pm will open late on Thursday morning, as it feels like the whole country is ready to dance until the early hours.

Throughout the week, the country has been crippled by football anxiety. It is said that Argentina’s progress to the semi-finals is unconvincing. Despite being the defending champions, they have managed to get through the rounds with a string of recent victories inspired by their 39-year-old messiah.

Lionel Messi could not score a goal, but his name was chanted during the celebrations. ‘MESSI! MESSI! MESSI! No10 is the nation’s end product.

A man with the same football wizardry as Diego Maradona but without the drink and drugs. Every big company wants a piece of it. Banks, oil companies, fast food chains. It is difficult to understand how one individual can be so universally admired.

As Argentina tried to maul the British, they drank maté tea from wooden cups with metal straws and roared at every major clash. Anthony Gordon’s goal left them in shocked silence. But these last shots, like two late thunderclaps, drove the minds into delirium.

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