Les Bleus crowned champions of the world
at the Olivier Giroud lifts the trophy as France celebrate winning the World Cup final with a 4-2 victory over Croatia Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow yesterday. Photo: Christian Hartmann
ECSTATIC French fans brought the centre of Dublin to a standstill as they celebrated their country’s World Cup glory.
For one night only, O’Connell Street was transformed into a Parisian boulevard as hundreds of French fans, many draped in red, white and blue, sang ‘La Marseillaise’.
Jean Philipe Breuils, from Toulouse, and Sophie Pilom, from St Etienne, took their son Camille (2) to the city to watch his first match – and what a match for his debut.
“We are so happy,” Sophie said, embracing her son.
“We have been in Dublin for four years but tonight it is like being home. We didn’t expect to win by so much and we’re incredibly proud of France.”
Guillaume
Bournit (22), from Marseilles, watched the game with girlfriend Lisa Laurent (22).
“We’re just really excited, very elated,” said Guillau. “I love the team, I love France.”
Galway fans, celebrating their own bit of historymaking in nearby Croke Park, joined in the French celebrations. It was left to the Kerry faithful to commiserate with the Croatians.
Igor Didak and his wife Deirdre, from Lusk, Co Dublin, shared their disappointment with a couple from the Kingdom, Niamh Twiss (21) and James Corry (24), who had earlier watched their team lose to underdogs Galway.
“We are still proud,” said Igor. “My country is a small country and we did amazingly well to get as far as we did. Croatia played so well. And we hadn’t been to this level before, so how can we be sad?”
In the afternoon, Eve Costello (38), from Paris but living in Dublin, with her two daughters, Emily (7) and Charlotte (5), enjoyed the match in the much more opulent surroundings at the French embassy on Ailesbury Road, along with 300 other fans.
The tech worker said: “Dublin was like a microcosm of France. The atmosphere was amazing. We were all singing songs and it was such a wonderful party and just a day after Bastille Day.
“I’ve been living in Dublin since I was 15 but today it very much felt like Paris came go Dublin.”
Some overzealous supporters blocked buses and cars on O’Connell St and Dublin Bus said some of its services were delayed by up to an hour.
Meanwhile, MMA fighter Conor McGregor met Vladimir Putin, having been invited to the final as a guest of the Russian president. “This man is one of the greatest leaders of our time and I was honoured to attend such a landmark event alongside him,“he wrote on social media.