MARGAO
Argentina fans in the State were in an upbeat mood ahead of Albiceleste's summit clash against France in the FIFA World Cup.
Over the past weeks, the fans packed cafes, restaurants and public plazas to follow the exploits of the Lionel Messi-led team on giant screens. Most of the Goan fans expect Argentina, with one of the greatest players of all time -- Messi in their line-up, to win the title. One such fan is Angele D'Silva, a student of Damodar Higher Secondary School, Margao who hails from Assolna. "After Brazil's exit from the World Cup, I am now rooting for Argentina. I can go watch the game with my brother and my nephews. We love football and it's our favourite game; so it's very special to all of us," says Angele.
"This Argentina team connected with a lot with the people. You can tell they're very united and they transmit that,” said Levinson Martins. "I wish all the good luck to Argentina; they deserve to win the World Cup."
"Messi doesn't have a country, he is the god of football," says Alvito D'Cunha. "God does not need a country. God belongs to all, so Messi belongs to all of us. Messi is the god, he's our inspiration."
D'Cunha said he was particularly pleased about how the Argentina team improved significantly every day and in every match. "You could see an improvement in them in every match,” he said. "In that sense, the shocking loss against Saudi Arabia helped consolidate the team. Argentina became stronger after their first reversal and improved a lot.
"Lionel Messi is in good form and hungry for the golden boot and the trophy that he is missing. I am all excited; it's been so long since we've lived happiness like this. It's beautiful," Alvito said.
