Madrid erupts in cheers and honking horns after Spain win

MADRID - Spain fans flooded Madrid’s streets, waving flags, cheering and honking car horns on Sunday after their side beat Argentina 1-0 to win the World Cup for a second time.

Hordes of supporters decked out in the national team’s trademark red jerseys streamed along the Paseo de Recoletos towards Cibeles Square, the traditional gathering point for celebrations by Spain’s national team and its fans.

Fans chanted “Campeones, campeones!” (Champions, champions!) while some set off flares.

Tens of thousands put up with temperatures of up to 35 deg C from early in the day to get the best positions before giant TV screens in two outdoor fan zones set up in Madrid.

Television shots showed fans jumping up and waving red and yellow Spanish flags in packed squares across the country from Barcelona in the northeast to Seville in the southwest.

Spain’s last World Cup victory came in 2010, when hundreds of thousands of supporters welcomed the team home in Madrid after their win in South Africa. AFP