Portugal Colonial - 'For the Malvinas, for Diego!' World Cup glee takes over in Argentina

The match ended, and the city lit up as hundreds of thousands of football fans thronged the streets to the din of horns and amid a sea of blue-and-white flags.

"If you're not jumping, you're English!" a leaping crowd chanted as the procession made its way to the towering Obelisk landmark in the capital.

The semi-final of the World Cup was loaded with symbolism for many Argentine fans, given that the country lost the Falklands War to England over what Argentines call the Malvinas in 1982.

Four years after that defeat, soccer legend Diego Maradona knocked England out of the World Cup in Mexico with two goals that went down in history: the "Hand of God" and the so-called "Goal of the Century."

The importance of Wednesday's clash therefore equalled that of a final, and strangers across Buenos Aires embraced in joy while the packed pubs of the city center saw at least one marriage proposal.

The fans will be back on the streets on Sunday when Argentina face Spain in the final, bidding for back-to-back titles.

Police had earlier erected blockades around the Obelisk in anticipation of the crowd trouble, but instead the banners were swallowed up by the massed supporters.

"Every match is the same for us. We fight right to the end and we end up winning," said shopkeeper Fabian Sidotti, 37, his cheeks painted with Argentine flags.

"Anything can happen up until the last minute," he added, urging his compatriots to "keep cheering until the last minute" when their team faces Spain on Sunday.

Fireworks popped off nearby, as beating drums melded with chanting fans.

"For the Malvinas, for Diego, for Leo's last one," the crowd chanted as a young man scaled a traffic light to wave the national flag.

A man wrapped head to foot in the same piece of fabric shouted: "The Malvinas are ours, the World Cup is too! Ole, ole, ole, Messi, Messi!"

- 'Happiness' -

Another contingent was meanwhile bouncing away in anti-British spirit on a bus that was shaking with the force of it all.

"This match and this result were amazing," 30-year-old farmer Rogelio Diaz told AFP, voicing "the happiness it gives me."

"Against Spain I have complete faith in the team. You always suffer, I suffered in every match, but let it stay that way, because we deserve another World Cup," he added.

During the match, when England had a one-goal advantage over Argentina, 70-year-old Gladys gesticulated at the TV screen, almost as if she could influence the ball's direction.

Her other hand meanwhile kept a firm grasp on a Maradona poster taped to the wall.

"Internally, this works for me," she told AFP.

England's goal at the 55th minute prompted a hushed silence in the bar where she sat, but Gladys remained calm both during and after the tense game.

"I knew we were going to win," she said. "And we're going to beat Spain too."

P.L.Madureira--PC