Think you had it bad? I watched England lose to Argentina in Buenos Aires

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The Independent

16 July 2026

Ever felt lonely? Imagine one of seven English journalists in a park just outside Buenos Aires when

Argentina

have just

knocked your side out of the World Cup

Imagine being seven glum faces in a sea of blue and white delirium with 150,000 locals going mad whilst the man on the microphone leads the hordes in a chant of

“Messi, Messi!”

Same old story for England fans

of a certain vintage but a different way to watch a game of football for sure. Over a quarter of a century covering the

England

rugby team has had its share of peaks and troughs. Fifty years of supporting the

football team has been pockmarked by despair – and there was more of it to come in South America as

Thomas Tuchel’s men bowed out of the tournament

open image in gallery

I watched England’s heartbreaking

World Cup

exit surrounded by ecstatic Argentinians in Buenos Aires (Reuters)

As the final whistle blew the crowd who had gathered at Plaza Seber, about a 40 minute walk from down town Buenos Aires, in Palermo went ballistic.

The man on the microphone then lowered the tone by adding

“For Messi, for Las Malvinas” –

and it had all been going so well.

As the English hack pack emerged from Catedral metro station with the local fans screaming “Campiones, Campiones” a lone motorcycle unfurled a Malvinas flag as the tourists tried to make themselves scarce.

Most of the local fans were heading to the Obelisk, which just happens to right opposite the hotel where the

rugby team are staying ahead of flying to Santiago del Estero for

this weekend’s fixture against the Pumas

. They won’t have got much sleep.

At around 7am local time on Wednesday morning the streets of Buenos Aires were full of men, women and children clad in Argentinean shirts. There are only two names any self-respecting football fan from these parts puts on the back of their replica jerseys – Messi and Maradona.

The woman running the launderette was wearing a Maradona shirt, the cleaner in the hotel was wearing a Messi shirt and the guy at reception in hotel was in the same gear. If you think we love football in

, you should take a trip to this vast country.

There are only two names any self-respecting football fan from these parts puts on the back of their replica jerseys – Messi and Maradona (AP)

In three trips here I have never had any problems over the

Falklands conflict;

most of the jibes from locals are about football. They were even selling cans of Quilmes, a local beer, with a picture of Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal on them this week. Talk about rubbing it in.

By lunchtime the workers were rushing out of their offices to get one of the fan zones operating in the city and by 3pm, an hour from kick-off it was bedlam. The 40-minute walk to Plaza Seber took 50 minutes in a cab – cash only – and by the time we arrived at a hastily arranged press stage the place was rocking.

The park was an alcohol-free environment and there were families picnicking on the grass before the game kicked off. There was face-painting, empanada stalls and hydration stalls giving away free water.

The Plaza Seber fan park was a family-friendly zone with face-painting, empanada stalls and hydration stalls (Reuters)

But as if to prove you don’t need to have a few beers to show passion the place erupted when the

anthems were played

on the big screen. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham got the biggest jeers and when Messi himself appeared the place went wild.

But

managed to keep the locals quiet with their biggest cheer reserved for when Elliot Anderson ‘The Geordie Maradona’ got booked.

All square at the break and so far so good. But the Argentine crowd were getting boisterous before Anthony Gordon hushed them with his goal 55 minutes in. When the ball hit the back of the net in Atlanta you could hear a pin drop in South America, even the handful of

fans wearing press wristbands stifled their cheers.

And we all know what happens next. It always happens with

–

60 years of hurt and counting,

and many lives are bookmarked by what happens in World Cups. And we all know what

normally happens when England play Argentina.

Argentina’s late comeback ensured it would stay 60 years of hurt and counting for

(Getty)

Buenos Aires erupted as Lautaro Martinez completed Argentina’s turnaround (Reuters)

The Mexico tournament of 1986 and the cheating goal by Maradona followed by one of the greatest scores of all time was watched in a dingy student flat in north-west London. Michael Owen’s wonder score, David Beckham’s red card and David Batty’s penalty miss in 1998 were watched in pub in north London after a game of cricket.

The 2002 win, and Beckham’s redemption, was watched at a mate’s house with a late breakfast and that tournament ended in disappointment at the hands of Brazil.

This one promised to be different. The experience of watching it with a few colleagues in the middle of a park surrounded by rival fans was different for sure, but the misery stays the same. We will never get the chance to do it again. Just a shame

England tried to shut up shop too early

. The shops in Buenos Aires will be late opening on Thursday – that’s for sure.

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