Naples, Italy –  A young man grabs his friend by the shoulders and shakes him, overwhelmed with joy. “We did it! We won! We beat them! We beat the north!”

In the second half of Thursday night’s game with Udinese, Napoli player Victor Osimhen scored the goal that secured the team’s place as the 2023 Italian Serie A champions.

The last time Napoli won the title was in 1990 and before that 1987. Both wins came from a team led by Argentine football legend Diego Armando Maradona, a beloved and saint-level personality for Neapolitans even today.

For many people in the southern city, Italian football represents much more than a sport. Although the game is a way for people to enjoy themselves and to have pride in their team, it is also seen as a political battle between the deeply divided north and south of the country.

The southern Italian region of Campania, of which Naples is the capital, has a youth unemployment rate of about 50 percent, more than double that of the north. The region has a severe poverty rate nearly three times the national average, and the percentage of people at risk of social exclusion or poverty is nearly 40 percent.

This neglect by the state paired with discrimination that fans face when they attend games in the north, such as being spat on and called ethnic slurs, creates a kind of southern patriotism that is expressed in the pre-Italian unification symbols that adorn many Napoli flags and scarves.

Thursday night’s title win was more than three decades in the making, and the celebrations were of historic proportions with hundreds of thousands of Neapolitans partying on the streets and squares of the city.

The celebrations are expected to last well into Friday as the city will welcome the team back from Udine.

The video emerged as police removed four people from the Australian Open tournament for displaying Russian flags.

Novak Djokovic’s father has been filmed posing with fans brandishing pro-Russian flags at the Australian Open in scenes Ukraine’s ambassador slammed as “a disgrace”.

The diplomat’s comment on Thursday came a day after the Serbian player had just booked his place in the tournament semifinal with a straight-set thumping of Russian opponent Andrey Rublev in Rod Laver Arena.

After the match a group of fans unfurled Russian flags near the stadium, including one featuring President Vladimir Putin’s face, chanting pro-Russian slogans.

A Victoria police spokeswoman said the four people were kicked out of the tournament for revealing “inappropriate flags and symbols and threatened security guards”. Police were called and they were ejected from Melbourne Park.

“Players and their teams have been briefed and reminded of the event policy regarding flags and symbols and to avoid any situation that has the potential to disrupt,” Tennis Australia said in a statement. “We continue to work closely with event security and law enforcement agencies.”

On January 17, the second day of the Australian Open, flags from Russia and Belarus were banned from Melbourne Park after they were brought into the stands by spectators the day before. Normally, flags can be displayed during matches at Melbourne Park. But Tennis Australia reversed that policy for the two countries involved in the invasion of Ukraine that began nearly a year ago, saying the flags were causing disruption.

A video later posted to a pro-Russian Australian YouTube account showed Djokovic’s father Srdjan posing with a man holding a flag with Putin’s picture.

It was captioned: “Novak Djokovic’s father makes bold political statement.”

This is…quite a mess for the #AusOpen, to say the least.

Srdjan Djokovic posing with the pro-Putin rally last night just outside Rod Laver Arena.

The levels of security breakdowns that allowed for this are staggering.

Story/video via @jamesgraysport:https://t.co/L4gtaKKNP6 pic.twitter.com/qnOx3MGYqB

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) January 26, 2023

Serbian tennis reporters confirmed it was Djokovic’s father and the Melbourne Age newspaper reported he said in Serbian: “Long live Russia.”

Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia and New Zealand, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, said the flag-waving was “shameful”.

“It’s a full package. Among the Serbian flags, there is: a Russian flag, Putin, Z-symbol, so-called Donetsk People’s Republic flag,” he tweeted with a link to the video.

It’s a full package. Among the Serbian flags, there is: a Russian flag, Putin, Z-symbol, so-called Donetsk People’s Republic flag. It’s such a disgrace…@TennisAustralia @AustralianOpen https://t.co/wZoZontcEj

— Vasyl Myroshnychenko (@AmbVasyl) January 25, 2023

Another man was photographed by AFP news agency inside the stadium during Djokovic’s match with a pro-war “Z” symbol T-shirt – associated with support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian players have normally competed under a neutral white flag as independents, as is the case at the Australian Open.

Thousands of ticketless fans had gathered outside Basra International Stadium ahead of the Arabian Gulf Cup final between Iraq and Oman.

Basra, Iraq – Family members of one of the football fans killed in the stampede at a stadium in southern Iraq ahead of the Arabian Gulf Cup final have blamed ticketless fans and organisers for the deaths of at least four people.

Thousands of fans without tickets had gathered outside Basra International Stadium on Thursday ahead of the final between the hosts and Oman. According to witnesses, pushing and shoving in the surging crowd led to the stampede, which also injured dozens of people.

Hamza Adnan Ahmed, a 25-year-old from Baghdad, was one of those who died on Thursday. His family told Al Jazeera that Ahmed, an engineer, had come to Basra with his brother to attend all the matches.

“My family and I were shocked to hear of my brother’s death,” another of Ahmed’s brothers who was in Baghdad at the time of the incident told Al Jazeera.

“The last time he called us was on Wednesday night, and he told us that he was so happy to be in Basra for the final. He said he was looking forward to celebrating in the stadium and experiencing the atmosphere in the city. Unfortunately, he was unable to do any of that.

“My other brother who was accompanying him survived, but Ahmed was not able to push himself out of the crowd.

“I blame the ticketless fans who tried to force their way into the stadium [for this tragedy]. I blame the government and the organisers who failed to avoid this tragedy, I blame the Ministry of Youth and Sport. All of them share the responsibility of what happened and for my brother’s death.”

Al Jazeera was unable to reach Basra’s health office or the Iraqi Football Association for comment.

‘I was about to die’

Zayn Kareem, a 24-year-old Basra resident, was caught up in the stampede but managed to get out of it.

“The crowd pushed each other to gain entry. I was about to die. I had a ticket but was unable to go in. I went back home and watched it with my family,” Kareem told Al Jazeera.

“It was a really messy day, but thankfully, I survived,” said the football fan, who also blamed fans who had arrived without tickets for the crush.

“The Basra government opened another stadium for the fans to go and watch the match on big screens,” Kareem said. “There were big screens on Basra’s main streets too, and they should’ve watched it at other places.”

Mustafa Qadir, 31, also of Basra, described the scene as something he “will never be able to forget”.

“Thousands had gathered outside the stadium. They pushed each other to enter the stadium by force. The security forces tried to separate them, but it was so difficult,” Qadir told Al Jazeera.

“I witnessed people of all ages – men, women, kids, teenagers – push themselves to reach the main gate and enter it. I don’t think all of them had tickets. That’s why there was the crush. I bought my ticket on the black market for around $100 because they were not available for the original price of $10.”

As Argentinian celebrations swelled from Lusail Stadium in Qatar to the streets of Buenos Aires following Argentina’s dazzling World Cup win, a sombre mood, in contrast, has swept across France.

Ahead of Sunday evening’s final match, expectant French football fans had crowded bars, gymnasiums, city streets and living rooms across the country in support of Les Bleus.

But after the game that went to extra time and a penalty shootout, French supporters were left downtrodden and dejected as they absorbed the weight of the moment and what could have been.

In Paris, forlorn fans trudged along Champs-Elysees avenue in the chilly night air, where the mood was reflected in the grey winter skies that blanketed the capital city.

“We’re disappointed, especially with a finish on penalties,” Louane, 14, who had travelled to Paris from the central Jura region to watch the game with his parents.

“But there were plenty of twists in the game and we thought it was in reach,” he told the AFP news agency.

The French side had miraculously clawed their way back into the game after allowing Argentina a 2-0 lead early on. That was thanks to three breathtaking goals from France’s Kylian Mbappe, who almost singlehandedly staged his side’s unthinkable comeback.

The drama of the match had left French fans sitting on the edge of their seats.

“To come back from a two-goal deficit is incredible,” said Romain Balthazar, a 22-year-old engineering student who visited Paris with friends to watch the final. “We came to experience this on the Champs — it’s fabulous.”

Just once has a team ever come back from two goals down in the World Cup final, and that was West Germany’s 3-2 win over Hungary in 1954, which remains the only time a team has overcome such a deficit in the tournament final.

France fans will take solace though in the awe-inspiring performance by Mbappe, who slid past Lionel Messi to earn the well-deserved Golden Boot trophy on Sunday as the World Cup’s top player. He netted eight goals over the course of the 2022 tournament.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who had travelled to Doha for the second time in a week to support Les Bleus, said he, too, was “very sad and disappointed”.

Macron had consoled and addressed the distraught team in the locker room after the game.

Fiers de vous. pic.twitter.com/9RMjIGMKGU

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) December 18, 2022

“Les Bleus made us dream,” Macron tweeted after the match.

Disturbances were reported in Paris as dejected fans clashed with some of the approximately 14,000 riot police deployed across the country for the final. Minor skirmishes were also reported last week when police fired tear gas in the aftermath of France’s semifinal win over Morocco.

WATCH: #BNNFrance Reports

Clashes broke out in #Paris tonight after #France lost the #WorldCup final on penalties to #Argentina in #Qatar.#Qatar2022 #FIFAWorldCup2022 #FRAARG #ARGFRA #FIFAWorldCup #Messi𓃵 #ArgentinaVsFrance #Mbappe pic.twitter.com/evdNjeF0Yo

— Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (@gchahal) December 18, 2022

Meanwhile, Argentina supporters in Paris gathered at the country’s embassy, located a short walk from the city’s iconic Arc de Triomphe monument.

“It’s an incredible feeling, with this finale for Messi, because we haven’t won since Maradona,” said 30-year-old Argentinian expat Alejandro Gomez.

In the southern city of Marseille, fans in the historic port district were also left reeling after the match.

“They played incredibly well, and didn’t disappoint, but penalty shots are always like Russian roulette,” said Laurent Bergerot, a 44-year-old engineer.

“It came down to chance but we fought until the end.”

In Bordeaux, Anthony Brebis, wearing a French flag on his shoulders matched by red, white and blue paint on his face, made a harsh assessment of the national side: “We have a young team that didn’t have enough experience to hold out for more than 90 minutes.”

French fans in search of redemption will now have to wait for UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany, the next big tournament in which Les Bleus will compete.

Arabic calligraphy artist Khaled Almesawy says the World Cup has been great for his art business and for Qatar.

Doha, Qatar – Outside the Souq Art Centre in Doha’s popular Souq Waqif market, Qatar-based artist Khaled Almesawy has been inundated with orders from residents and football World Cup visitors for his unique calligraphy sketches of Argentina’s superstar Lionel Messi.

From Dumyat city in Egypt, Almesawy said people were amazed not only by his Messi portraits but also his Arabic-inspired calligraphy art – especially foreigners who were seeing this art form for the first time.

“He’s the most popular footballer who people want me to draw because everyone loves Messi,” the Egyptian artist told Al Jazeera, while in the middle of sketching one of his many Messi calligraphy-based portraits using only the Argentinian’s name written in Arabic.

“I love their reaction, especially of foreigners … they have been sharing my sketches on Instagram and other social media,” he said.

Keeping his drawings of Messi company was another sketch of Argentina’s legendary Diego Maradona, who was the artist’s all-time favourite player before Messi took the footballing world by storm some 17 years ago.

 

According to Almesawy, aside from the admiration people have for Messi’s genius on the pitch, they are also excited to see him in the flesh and possibly, finally, winning a World Cup.

From the number of people wearing Messi football jerseys to those chanting his name and waving flags bearing his image, often next to Maradona, no other player at this tournament has been as popular as Messi.

Despite multiple trophies and accolades, the World Cup has alluded Messi since he first made an appearance at the tournament in 2006. Sunday’s upcoming final against reigning champions France is likely to be the 35-year-old Argentinian’s last chance to win that title, after playing in a total of five World Cups.

Messi and Argentina’s last World Cup final was in 2014 in Brazil, where they lost 1-0 to Germany in extra time.

‘It’s been really good’

Almesawy, who has been living in Qatar for 25 years, told Al Jazeera how good the FIFA World Cup has been for him and for the country he calls home, as football fever and tourism have gripped the diminutive gulf nation over the past several weeks.

“I wish the World Cup would could take place every four years in Doha,” he said. “It’s been really good for me personally and professionally,” he said.

Since the World Cup kicked off last month, Almesawy said he has not taken a single day off. Despite the gruelling schedule, he said his art was “everything” to him.

“I come in at 3-4pm (12:00-13:00 GMT) and I’m supposed to leave at 10pm (19:00 GMT). But I just keep drawing for hours after,” he said.

“It’s my life. I love what I do.”

Dhaka, Bangladesh – Adnan Imam, a resident of Dhaka, is an ardent fan of Argentina’s football team. As he prepares to watch Sunday’s World Cup final between Argentina and France, he has resorted to superstition to help his team win.

The 26-year-old software engineer is usually a sceptic and doesn’t believe in any divine intervention or luck, but he said the jersey he wore for Argentina’s first match brought bad luck.

“Argentina lost against the Saudis,” Imam told Al Jazeera. “Since then, I have switched to an old jersey, and they are on a winning streak.”

Rohan Ahmed, meanwhile, arranged a special prayer on Friday for Argentina’s victory at a local shrine in the port city of Chattagram. Dozens of other Argentina fans joined him.

“I would slaughter two cows and throw a ‘Mezban’ [a traditional Chattagram feast] if Argentina wins the World Cup,” Ahmed, 39, a shipping agent, told Al Jazeera.

Ahmed’s and Imam’s fervour for La Albiceleste, as the Argentine football team is known, defies logic. Their country is thousands of kilometres away from Argentina, and the economic and diplomatic ties between the two countries are weak.

However, football transcends borders, and perhaps nowhere is this more apparent than in this South Asian country, where a large chunk of its 170 million people become de facto Argentines every four years. They wear light blue and white jerseys and support the team and its players with the same zeal as Argentines.

Global recognition

Bangladesh’s love for Argentina’s football team is at least four decades old, but this year, it grabbed the attention of the world like never before – from FIFA tweeting a clip of thousands of Bangladeshis celebrating Argentina’s goal against Mexico to global football star Gary Lineker expressing surprise at such fandom.

Argentinians also took notice of the devotion for their football team in a faraway land and decided to return the favour. They opened a Facebook group for Argentina fans of Bangladesh’s cricket team and started watching the sport, in which Bangladesh is considered an emerging powerhouse. Within two weeks, the group attracted nearly 200,000 members.

In another surprising gesture, Santiago Cafiero, Argentina’s foreign minister, tweeted that his country will push to reopen its embassy in Bangladesh, which has been closed since 1978.

“It feels great that Argentine people now know how crazy we are about Messi and their football team,” Sifat Mehedi, one of the moderators of the Facebook group, told Al Jazeera.

There are dozens of Facebook groups in Bangladesh, but this one is the largest with more than a half-million members.

“Yes, we rank 192 in the FIFA rankings, but our people are some of the most passionate football fans,” Mehedi said. “I would say quadrennial fans, though, as this whole football frenzy is centered on the World Cup.”

Mehedi said social media has played a big part in putting Bangladesh on the football fandom map.

“These days, any post or video can go viral,” he said. “You never know. I don’t think Bangladesh would have gotten the attention of Argentina or the whole world if FIFA didn’t share that video – at least of this scale.”

“After all, Bangladeshis have been supporting Argentina since the Maradona magic in 1986,” Mehedi said.

Football legends Diego Maradona of Argentina and Pele of Brazil are household names in South Asian countries such as Bangladesh. Expatriates from the region, who form a large chunk of Qatar’s population, have rallied behind Latin American countries, mainly Brazil and Argentina, in the current World Cup.

Football’s history in the Bengali-speaking region of the Indian subcontinent goes back to the late 19th century when its British colonial rulers introduced the sport in Calcutta, then the capital of British India and now Kolkata, Bengal state’s main city.

The eastern part of Bengal became part of Pakistan in 1947 when the Indian subcontinent achieved independence from Britain. But nearly three decades later, East Pakistan, as it was known then, seceded to become Bangladesh.

The ‘M factor’

Football’s popularity rose in Bangladesh in the mid-1980s after televisions became widely available, and the first World Cup that most Bangladeshis watched was the one in 1986, journalist Syed Faiz Ahmed said.

“The 1986 World Cup also saw the emergence of a superhero – Diego Maradona,” Ahmed said. “People have been searching for such a football deity, and the Argentine maestro fulfilled it with his exquisite style, revolutionary air and tremendous passion.”

He said Bangladeshis’ love for Maradona and Argentina continued even though the Albicelestes haven’t won another World Cup since then.

Bangladeshis’ support for Argentina has risen to a new level since the arrival of Lionel Messi, Ahmed said

Sports commentator Shahnoor Rabbani told Al Jazeera that their love for Messi even supersedes that for Maradona.

“This is because people now can follow and watch European club football all through the year and even the personal life of stars like Messi through social media,” he said.

“You cannot but fall in love with Messi if you love football,” Rabbani said. “He is arguably the greatest player of all time, and he not having a World Cup is a loss for football.”

Doha, Qatar – Hundreds of Argentina football fans have gathered outside FIFA’s main ticketing office with hopes of obtaining tickets for Sunday’s World Cup 2022 final at the 88,000-capacity Lusail Stadium.

Fans of the two-time world champions also said on Friday they were upset by the lack of ticket availability on FIFA’s official sale and resale platforms, adding that they would not leave until they are able to buy tickets.

“We know plenty of tickets have been let go by fans of Brazil, Portugal and Morocco after their teams failed to reach the final, but we don’t know where those tickets went,” Mattias, an Argentinian fan, told Al Jazeera outside the main ticketing office in Doha.

The entrance to the main office was barricaded and guarded by security officials and volunteers, and only those fans who wished to print their electronic tickets were allowed inside the building. There were similar scenes on Thursday outside a Doha hotel where Argentina football federation officials are staying.

“We have told them we don’t have any tickets to offer them but they still insist on staying here,” said a ticketing office staff who asked to remain anonymous.

Mattias, who had been outside the ticket office for four hours, said maintaining a presence is the only way of getting noticed by FIFA and the host country’s organising team.

“If we stay here and protest peacefully, we might hear something but if we leave, no one is going to listen to us,” he said.

Argentina, who qualified for the final after beating Croatia on Tuesday, will take on holders France on December 18.

The travelling fans of the Albiceleste have been providing raucous support for their team during their run in the tournament. Thousands of drumbeating, singing and dancing fans have been present inside stadiums during every Argentina game, and have continued their celebrations outside after every successive win.

Maria Parreira, who has been to every Argentina game thus far, said she was disappointed to see that football’s governing body has done little to help the 30,000 or so Argentinians who have travelled to Qatar for the tournament.

Parreira said most fans who made the 13,000km (8,100-mile) journey from Argentina “burned their savings”, and will go back home with empty pockets because that is what football means to them.

Should their team win an elusive third title, however, it will be worth every penny spent for the die-hard travelling supporters.

“We want to create the same atmosphere and support our team all the way to the end, so imagine if we can’t be inside the stadium after draining our bank accounts just because some people want to rip us off,” a teary-eyed Parreira said, referring to a racket of resellers in the black market, both online and in person at various locations across Qatar.

Despite FIFA’s warnings on reselling tickets out of its official platforms, several thousand tickets have been sold illegally, throughout the World Cup and for the final, as well.

With the growing desperation to watch the all-important final, which is also possibly the last World Cup match of Argentina captain Lionel Messi’s career, individuals have been quoting prices up to eight times the face value of tickets.

One of the hundreds of such resellers, who declined to give their name, was present outside the ticketing office and was seen offering a 3,650 Qatari riyal ($1,000) ticket for 10,000 riyals ($2,800).

Another person, who also declined to give his name, claimed to have various tickets for the final and said he will be selling them at five times the face value because there was a high demand and they were going for such high prices elsewhere.

Fans like Parreira and her friend Juan Pablo, who has travelled from a small village outside Cordoba, Argentina, said they simply cannot pay such high amounts.

Pablo has followed Argentina’s journey since their qualification round matches, and arrived in Qatar in October in order to help fellow travellers.

“I went to Russia [2018], I travelled all over South America to watch them qualify and now that they are in the final, I can’t be there because officials from football federations, sponsors and celebrities are being offered the seats that should have been reserved for us,” Pablo said with a sigh.

The AFP news agency reported that each country that qualified for the quarterfinals has been handed extra tickets for the additional matches the team was playing in.

FIFA has not responded to Al Jazeera’s request for comment on ticket allocation, distribution and resale.

Al Khor, Qatar – They came from far and wide to be part of history: For the first time, a football team from their continent, Africa, was playing in a World Cup semifinal.

“What I have witnessed tonight will be with me for the rest of my life,” said Joseph Kithitu, a doctor who travelled from Kenya to Al Khor, a coastal town in northern Qatar, to watch Morocco take on reigning world champions France on Wednesday.

Despite a spirited performance that saw them dominate ball possession and create a string of chances, Morocco lost 2-0 to goals by France’s Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani.

“Morocco have made me proud. Morocco have made the African continent really proud,” said Kithitu. “They lost tonight but in my eyes they are winners.”

The achievement of the team nicknamed the Atlas Lions was not lost on the spectators who packed the almost 69,000-capacity Al Bayt Stadium, the vast majority of whom were Morocco supporters.

The North African side was only the third from outside Europe or South America to reach a World Cup semifinal – the first was the USA at the inaugural World Cup held in Uruguay in 1930, followed by South Korea on home soil in 2002.

Kithitu, who brought his son with him to the World Cup in Qatar, said Morocco had shown the world African teams belong to the elite of the game.

“That we can go toe to toe with any team, anywhere and at any time. Next time, we will go all the way,” he predicted.

‘African football has arrived’

Morocco’s fairytale run was no walk in the park. In their opening match, they faced 2018 runners-up Croatia whom they held to a goalless draw.

The Atlas Lions then bulldozed the Red Devils of Belgium, ranked second in the world pre-tournament. The star-studded Belgium team, like others throughout the tournament, were unable to unlock Morocco’s backline and ended up losing 2-0.

Morocco then made relatively easy work of Canada, defeating them 2-1, before beating 2010 world champions Spain on penalties in the Round of 16.

In the quarterfinal, Morocco overcame Portugal 1-0 to book a date with two-time champions France.

Morocco, also the first team from an Arab country to reach the last four, became the 25th side to compete in the semifinals of the World Cup. All the other teams to reach the last four had reached the semifinal stage before, with France and Argentina having both won the tournament twice and Croatia coming second in the previous tournament in Russia.

“African football has arrived. We are here and we belong here. We beat the biggest teams in Europe to get here,” said Zik Tuma, a Ugandan who travelled from Malta for the showpiece.

“The future of African football is very bright. Our football future has never been better and more promising than now. Those who doubted us can now see our achievements,” he added.

“The sky is the limit.”

His comments echoed those of Morocco coach Walid Regragui, who said after the December 10 triumph over Portugal that Africa was “back on the map of football today”.

“We had the right attitude for our people, for us, for Africa,” Regragui, the first African coach to take a team into the World Cup quarter-finals, had told reporters.

“It is always difficult for us African coaches. You don’t think we can handle such teams tactically.”

His well-organised team’s feats on the pitch came to crown a series of impressive displays by African teams in Qatar: Cameroon became the first African team to beat five-time champions Brazil, while Senegal overcame the loss to injury of their superstar forward Sadio Mane to reach the Round of 16. Tunisia, meanwhile, held Denmark to a goalless draw and also beat France 1-0 in the group stage’s final match.

Supporter Ali Mohammad, who travelled from Sudan’s capital Khartoum to attend the first World Cup held in the Middle East, said: “Africa deserved this moment”.

“I’m very happy. We have been waiting for this for a very long time,” he added. “Yes, Morocco lost but not many countries can even dream of their achievement,” Mohammad said, noting that the Atlas Lions’ feat was celebrated across the continent.

Following the end of Morocco’s run in the tournament, African supporters in Al Khor called on the world football’s governing body, FIFA, to award the continent more places in the competition, which in its 2022 edition featured 32 teams.

“Africa is 54 countries and we only receive five places. It is time FIFA changed that. It is obvious from how Morocco played and beat all these big teams that our continent is as good as any other. We need to get our fair share of places,” said Akusa, Tuma’s wife.

Morocco will now face Croatia on Saturday in the third-place playoff at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.

“They are legends. They are in our history books,” Mohammad said. “They will forever be in our hearts.”

Morocco’s dreams of reaching the World Cup final were dashed after a 2-0 loss to France in the last four.

After reaching the semifinals of the world’s most prestigious event – the first time in history for an African or Arab-majority country – the Atlas Lions were ultimately brought down by the mighty France on Wednesday.

“We are a little upset, I won’t lie,” Hassan Chadilly, from Casablanca, told Al Jazeera at Al Bayt Stadium.

“After we kept winning the knockout games we had a lot of hope. Sadly we could not do it again”.

However, Chadily said Moroccans everywhere were “very proud” of the team.

“We have the most wonderful players in the world … the coach [Walid Regragui], the training staff. I will never forget being here in Qatar during such a historic time for our country”, Chadily, who is a Dubai resident, said.

There was no recreation, however, of the boisterous and euphoric scenes the world has come to see from Morocco fans during the tournament in the past few weeks.

A few people could be seen jumping and shouting Dima Maghrib (Always Morocco) as they left the stadium but nowhere near with the same enthusiasm as when the Atlas Lions shocked Portugal last week, or Spain and Belgium before them.

“I was really hoping we could meet Argentina in the final … but France were better than us,” Yassine Bouziane told Al Jazeera.

“But I’m not sad, honestly. They did the best they could do. No one expected this”, the Tangier resident said. “They made so many people happy – all the Muslims around the world, the Arabs and the people of Africa.”

France will take on Argentina on Sunday in the final at Lusail Stadium, while Morocco will fight it out with Croatia for third place on December 17.

Lusail, Qatar – They came to Qatar from far and wide.

They came to Lusail Stadium clad in the white and sky blue of Argentina’s national colours.

But those making the journey to Lusail on Friday – located about 20km (more than 12 miles) north of central Doha – were not all from the South American country.

Meet the non-Argentinian Argentina supporters at World Cup 2022.

“Messi, he is mesmerising,” said Karan Agarwal, who travelled from Jaipur in India to watch Argentina play in Qatar’s World Cup.

“You can’t teach his skills even in the best football academies. You are born with it,” Agarwal told Al Jazeera.

Agarwal is just one of the many non-Argentinian fans of Argentina who have embraced the Albicelestes as their team of choice and travelled to Qatar to show their support for the South Americans.

Agarwal said, growing up in India, he became an Argentina fan because of the legendary Diego Maradona, and he sees echoes of Maradona in the current team’s star player and captain Lionel Messi.

“Every time I see Messi he reminds me of Maradona. Anyone who loves football loves Messi,” he said, his voice husky after much cheering during Argentina’s hard-fought penalty win over the Oranje of the Netherlands.

“Who else could do that other than Messi?” Agarwal said referring to the pass that led to the first Argentina goal against the Dutch on Friday.

“I will travel anywhere to witness such magic.”

Messi: ‘The little magician’

The mood inside the 88,000-capacity Lusail Stadium was electric on Friday night thanks to the Albicelestes fans. Everywhere you looked, there were banners adorned with images of Messi and Maradona.

The Dutch fans were not only outnumbered, they were also out-cheered by Argentina’s supporters, who had travelled from across the world to see Messi lead his team to victory.

Messi, a seven-time Ballon d’or winner, said this would be his last World Cup. The little magician, as he is known, has been in top form on the pitch during this tournament and now has three goals to his name.

As the Dutch sat deep in defence in their match on Friday night, it was Messi’s run and exquisite pass that unlocked and outdid their defenders.

Each time Messi got the ball near the Oranje goal, it felt as if the entire stadium was on its feet cheering wildly and expecting to witness Messi’s magic.

Argentina are favourites to lift the World Cup trophy and their fans know it. They have come in huge numbers, not just expecting to win but to be entertained too.

But the team suffered a huge shock when they were beaten in their opening game by Saudi Arabia and there were worries Messi might head home early. But it was Messi’s magic that unlocked Mexico in their second game where Argentina won 2-0 in what was a very nervy match.

Ali Khajah, an electrical engineer from Kuwait, could not believe he finally had a chance to watch Argentina and Messi.

“This is my second Argentina game I’m watching in this World Cup. It’s an honour to see him and Argentina in the flesh,” he told Al Jazeera.

Khajah was not sure if Argentina would come out on top on Friday night. After all, they were facing a Dutch side that had been unbeaten in their last 20 World Cup matches against non-European opponents – winning 14 matches and drawing in six. You would have to travel way back to 1994 for the last defeat – a quarter-final loss to Brazil.

“Holland are very strong. So, I was not sure,” Khajah said.

“But I’m glad I came to watch because I saw the magician do amazing. I like him and Ronaldo. They are [in a] different class,” he said.

‘With Messi in your team, anything is possible’

Savouring every moment of the win, many of the non-Argentinian Argentina fans were slow to exit the stadium long after the final whistle was blown.

“Amazing game. I will never forget. We played really well and Messi was great,” said Hani Albashir, who travelled from Saudi Arabia to watch his favourite team.

More than 30 minutes after the game had finished, Albashir was still in the stands taking selfies to remember the moment.

“I support Argentina because of the way they play the game. Beautiful, and they make it look simple and very natural. They play sexy football,” he added with a laugh.

He still could not believe he had just witnessed Argentina beat the Netherlands.

Before Friday’s match, Messi had nine World Cup goals for the Albicelestes – one behind Gabriel Batistuta, who is considered one of Argentina’s greatest strikers. In the 73rd minute of the game against the Netherlands, the little magician converted a penalty to equal Batistuta’s record.

“I came to witness history. And Messi made history tonight,” said Jasim Jamal, an IT technician from Kerala, India, clad in a Messi football jersey at Lusail Stadium.

“It’s a night I will never forget. Argentina don’t just play football. They entertain you,” said Jamal, adding there was “no team like Argentina”.

“Argentina play football the way it should be played no matter the opponent. It is why I will always support them,” he said.

Now Jamal said he would do anything to get his hands on a ticket for the semi-final.

“This opportunity doesn’t come around often,” he said.

Argentina now face Croatia who had earlier on Friday eliminated Brazil to book their place in the semi-finals.

But Argentina’s fans in Lusail think it is their time.

“With Messi in your team, anything is possible,” said Albashir, the supporter from Saudi Arabia.

“I have every faith we will win this World Cup.”