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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Jon Henley in Paris

‘You can’t begrudge Messi’: Parisians react as France lose World Cup final

A French supporter watches in Paris during extra time of the World Cup final between Argentina and France
A French supporter watches in Paris during extra time of the World Cup final between Argentina and France. Photograph: Sébastien Bozon/AFP/Getty Images

It was a rollercoaster. By the end they were standing on the tables outside, roars of “allez les Bleus” and “liberté, égalité, Mbappé” rising hoarsely into the freezing early evening air, hugging each other fiercely, cheering on their heroes.

It was standing room only in Le Napoléon and Le Mondial cafes, facing each other across the Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis in Paris’s 10th arrondissement – both rammed to the rafters inside with flag-waving, face-painted, red-white-and-blue bewigged fans.

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