Wild scenes in Mexico City as fans fill the streets after World Cup opener

The signs were there the night before the game.

The last-minute panic to buy Mexico jerseys from street sellers lining busy footpaths.

The joyous congregation of hundreds singing and dancing around Mexico City’s iconic El Ángel de la Independencia.

The cheers and car horns honking in celebration until the early hours of the morning.

If this was how Mexicans marked the day before their opening World Cup match, it was always going to be so much better after.

Beer showers and glow sticks

The players completed the first part of the equation, beating South Africa 2-0 in the opening match of this World Cup, staged across Mexico, Canada, and the USA.

The afterparty then kicked off, with fans streaming down the city’s famous boulevard, Paseo de la Reforma, which turned into a pedestrian-only World Cup fever dream.

There were beer showers, fake snow sprays, conga lines, and plastic World Cup trophies being hoisted in victory.

Add in sumptuous street food, snacks, souvenirs, and glow sticks galore, all accompanied by a free concert.

It may seem like an incredible outpouring of passion for an opening group game, but this is standard practice in Mexico after any major national men’s team victory.

They gather at their version of Fed Square — a victory monument on a busy roundabout — with an unmatched stamina to party all through the night.

Cramps and emotions

The vibes were high before the match, with traditional performers entertaining fans outside.

Inside, the noise was frenzied and furious.

The 80,000 fans sang along to the opening ceremony performers, particularly entranced with the World Cup queen herself, Shakira. 

But the feel-it-deep-in-your-soul roars were saved for the two goals, particularly Raúl Jiménez’s header, years after his comeback from a horrific head injury.

It was almost matched by the reception for 17-year-old superstar in waiting Gilberto Mora when he came on as a second half substitute.

The crowd unanimously started chanting his name — special welcome reserved for someone tipped to change the face of the game here.

Coach Javier Aguirre, who played in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, says the players were overcome with emotion.

“The start of the World Cup, is a brutal scenario, it makes your legs shake a little,” he said.

“You come from the training centre to here, the people, the fans are in the street and that tells the player, ‘Wow, wow, wow.’

“Never, never in 25 matches we had one case of cramps, today we had three players with cramps.

“It’s a very strong emotional state.”

The players have to put a lid on it and prepare for their next group game, but the lid is well and truly off for the supporters.

“It means everything. It means a lot,” one fan said.

“It’s putting us back on the map. It shows that Mexico is present in the world of football.” 

Time to chillax

FIFA president Gianni Infantino will be as happy as the delirious fans in Mexico.

The day prior, he bemoaned the criticisms directed at his organisation in the lead-up to the tournament.

He channelled a teenager from the early 2000s, asking everyone to chillax.

And with the football finally underway, the chill pills have been downed and the party vibes unleashed.

Infantino can relax for now, but the scrutiny won’t disappear.

Mexico is a football loving nation, but “soccer” plays second fiddle in Canada and the US.

While big games with big names will attract bumper crowds, will the high ticket prices deter fans from off-Broadway acts?

And will Immigration and Customs Enforcement — ICE — make its presence felt in the US?

Those and many other questions will be asked, but for now at least, the football will do the talking.

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