Sport
Thousands welcome Messi, Argentina team after World Cup victory
Thousands of fans lined up in the middle of the night to try to get a glimpse of the Argentina soccer team that won one of the greatest World Cup finals of all time ahead of what was a day of celebrations in Buenos Aires.
Members of the team, led by captain Lionel Messi, were all smiles as they descended from the plane in Ezeiza, right outside Argentina’s capital, shortly before 3 a.m. Tuesday onto a red carpet that had been rolled out for the squad.
Messi was the first player from the plane carrying the World Cup, flanked by coach Lionel Scaloni, who put his arm around the captain as they walked past a sign that read, “Thank you, champions.”
The players were welcomed by rock band La Mosca singing “Muchachos,” a song that was written by a fan to the tune of an old song by the band and became a popular unofficial anthem for Argentine fans at the World Cup in Qatar, Associated Press reported.
The newly crowned champions of the world boarded an open top bus and several, including Messi, could be seen singing the words to “Muchachos” while they waited for everyone to get on to travel to the headquarters of the Argentine Football Association.
The bus moved at a snail’s pace as fans, many of whom were waving Argentine flags, swarmed the bus on a highway, eager for a glimpse of the players as law enforcement officers tried to keep them at bay.
Throughout the trip, Messi held the World Cup as players waved to fans and often sang along with them.
It took the bus around one hour to travel approximately 11 kilometers from the airport to AFA headquarters, where the players were welcomed with fireworks.
They were expected to sleep at AFA headquarters for a few hours before boarding the bus later Tuesday to the Obelisk, the iconic Buenos Aires landmark that was a sea of people Sunday afternoon after the team won the country’s third World Cup, and its first since 1986.
President Alberto Fernández declared a national holiday Tuesday so the country could celebrate the victory.
Afghanistan’s national football team went down 2-1 to Myanmar in their first match of the third round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.
The match was held on Tuesday at the stadium in Yangon, the capital of Myanmar.
The only goal for Afghanistan was scored in the 14th minute by Omid Popalzay.
Afghanistan is in Group E along with Myanmar, Pakistan, and Syria.
The national team’s next match will be on June 10 against Syria. The venue is still to be decided.
Afghanistan’s national beach soccer team was defeated 6-4 by Indonesia in their third and final match of the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup 2025, resulting in their elimination from the tournament.
The match took place on Tuesday in Thailand.
In their first and second games, Afghanistan lost to the United Arab Emirates and Iran, respectively.
Afghanistan Cricket Board’s National Selection Committee this week finalized the Afghanistan National U19 team squad for the upcoming Youth ODI Series against Nepal, as well as the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup Asia Qualifiers scheduled for next month in Nepal.
The selection process for the National U19 Team included rigorous training and preparation camps over the past five months.
The final phase of the team’s training concluded in Khost province, where the top 19 players engaged in skill development, fitness training, and multiple practice matches.
The squad is set to depart for Nepal later this month, where they will meet the home U19 side in three Youth ODIs from April 3 to 9 in Mulpani.
The team will then proceed to the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup Asia Qualifiers, which will take place from April 13 to 19 in the same country.
The Future Stars are scheduled to face Oman, Hong Kong, the UAE, and the host nation Nepal in a round-robin format.
The team that finishes at the top of the table will qualify for the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup 2026 in Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Interim Chief Selector, Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil: “Qualification for the U19 World Cup is our ultimate goal. Keeping this in mind, we have prepared our squad through rigorous training and multiple preparation phases, which helped us finalize the 17-man squad.
“The boys have shown great enthusiasm and readiness to perform at the international level, and we are confident that they will do well in both events.”
Afghanistan Squad for the Nepal Youth ODI Series and the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup Asia Qualifiers: Mehboob Khan (Captain & Wicket-Keeper), Khalid Ahmadzai (WK), Uzair Khan, Faisal Khan, Barakatullah Ibrahimzai, Nazeef Amiri, Aziz Miakhil, Wahidullah Zadran, Zaitullah Shaheen, Hafeez Zadran, Abdul Aziz Khan, Nasratullah Nooristani, Khatir Stanikzai, Salam Khan, Izat Noor Shirzad, Kamal Khan and Rohullah Arab.
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