BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) 鈥 Zeyda Cipra has been so anxious all week about Argentina's match against France in the World Cup final that she couldn鈥檛 avoid talking about how she was feeling with her psychologist.
鈥淪he told me she was feeling the same way about the World Cup,鈥 laughed Cipra, a 35-year-old economics student who also runs a pet shop in Buenos Aires. 鈥淚鈥檓 really excited, and have terrible anxiety.鈥
Argentines woke up Sunday ready to watch the national team play in Qatar for a third World Cup title, the first since 1986, amid a feeling of unity and joy that is rare for a country that has been engulfed in an economic crisis for years and has one of the worst inflation rates in the world, at almost 100% annually, and where almost four in 10 live in poverty.
鈥淧eople are feeling a very intense happiness constantly. Cars are driving around with the flag. The whole city is dressed with the flag,鈥 said Guillermo Ortiz, a 52-year-old podiatrist. 鈥淭he crazy thing is that we鈥檙e all united and say we want what鈥檚 best, which generally doesn鈥檛 happen in this country. It鈥檚 as if soccer draws a circle and puts us all inside.鈥
Argentina last reached the World Cup final in 2014, when it lost to Germany, but seemingly everyone in the country agrees the sense of anticipation and excitement for this game is far higher than it ever was for that match eight years ago in Brazil.
鈥淭his has something special due to the situation of the country. The truth is that we鈥檙e going through a really, really rough time and we鈥檙e waiting for this happiness,鈥 said Mart铆n Ferreyra, a 46-year-old plumber. 鈥淲e鈥檙e enjoying a break as a society.鈥
As Argentines prepared for the country's sixth World Cup final, many were ready to follow some superstitious rituals.
Cipra, for example, will watch the game by herself just as she has done with all the other World Cup matches, surrounded by her two dogs and two others she鈥檚 taking care of 鈥 all wearing the Argentina jersey.
Ortiz will be watching the game with his family and friends in his apartment, where, just like every other game, they will hang up a 25-meter (82-foot) Argentina flag.
Ortiz鈥檚 goal is to later unfurl that flag at the capital鈥檚 iconic Obelisk, the traditional site of celebrations that will undoubtedly fill up after the match regardless of whether the team led by Lionel Messi wins or loses.
鈥淚f we lose, we鈥檙e still going to celebrate,鈥 Ferreyra said. 鈥淲e know there were values and that this is a real team.鈥
Few, however, were talking about losing as a real possibility.
鈥淚 think this will be ours because the guys have shown they can adapt to any system of play and they can change depending on their rival,鈥 said Guillermo Darchez, a 43-year-old photographer whose daughter plays in the youth team at Newell鈥檚 Old Boys.
Newell's is Messi鈥檚 old club in Rosario, Argentina's third-largest city.
鈥淲e鈥檙e all very hungry for victory,鈥 agreed Pablo Jim茅nez, a 29-year-old waiter at a restaurant in Rosario that is owned by Messi鈥檚 family. 鈥淚 think we鈥檙e going to eat them alive.鈥
___
AP World Cup coverage: and
