New York’s Times Square was taken over by thousands of jubilant Spain fans on Sunday, who partied through the night after their team’s World Cup final success.
The iconic Big Apple landmark transformed into a sea of red and yellow – hours after Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the final – as fans swarmed to Midtown Manhattan.
Thousands of supporters were seen singing, dancing, chanting and waving Spanish flags as they took over Times Square from dusk until the early hours of Monday.
Many of the fans had attended a public watch party in the area, while thousands of others flocked from across the city – and MetLife Stadium itself – to celebrate.
It marked a stark contrast to how Times Square had looked just 24 hours earlier, when a myriad of Argentina fans gathered to start the festivities ahead of the game.
On Sunday, however, only a handful of La Albiceleste fans were seen in the area and – those who were there – appeared dejected, deflated and downbeat after their loss.
Times Square was full of Spain World Cup fans into the early hours of Monday morning
The iconic New York landmark was taken over by supporters of La Roja after their historic win
Fans were seen singing, dancing and waving Spanish flags as they celebrated the result
New York’s iconic Empire State Building was lit up in red and yellow after Spain’s win
Though spirits were high among Spain fans, New York police were forced to make several arrests – with a handful of individuals seen being placed in handcuffs by officers.
Details of the arrests have not yet been released by New York police. An NYPD spokesperson told The Daily Mail late Sunday night that the total number of arrests was unknown because the suspects were still being processed.
As for the crimes, the NYPD spokesperson said the suspects are accused of disorderly conduct.
In one exclusive photo, a Spain fan wearing a Lamine Yamal jersey is seen being led away by two officers. Another man in a pink t-shirt and matching shorts was also apprehended, as was a shirtless man seen in a video on Instagram.
However, while the party ended early for those fans, other Spain supporters were seen raising replica trophies, blowing horns and crowd surfing in the wake of the country’s second World Cup win.
Meanwhile, in lower Manhattan, red-clad revelers took over the city’s High Line, which is a park raised on an old rail line 30 feet above the city streets.
But Sunday’s most hectic scene was Times Square, which had been a beehive of activity throughout the tournament.
Fans who couldn’t afford four-figure ticket prices had dozens of watch parties to choose from throughout the five boroughs, but no option proved as popular as Times Square’s seemingly endless array of towering electronic billboards.
No option proved as popular as Times Square for Spanish fans to celebrate their triumph
Despite the jubilant scenes, a number of individuals were arrested by New York police Sunday. Details of the numerous arrests in Times Square were not made immediately clear.
As pictured by The Daily Mail’s John Taggart, several individuals were placed in riot cuffs
Two supporters of Team Spain rejoice after Sunday’s 1-0 win over Team Argentina
Times Square has been a hive of activity throughout the World Cup, despite the fact that local tournament games such as Sunday’s final were actually played at MetLife Stadium
New York Police Department officers stand guard as fans gather in Times Square
And on Sunday, Times Square appeared to lean heavily in favor of the defending-champion Argentinians, at least before the match.
‘We came across a few Spaniards but I don’t look at them,’ the blue-and-white-clad Florencia Luzinin, 30, told the AFP.
Afterwards, many of those Argentina fans appeared devastated, regardless of whether or not they actually claimed Argentinian citizenship.
While America does have Spanish and Argentinian immigrants, those diasporas are far smaller than others in the country, which may have led Sunday’s turnout to be slightly smaller than some of the tournament’s previous matches.
‘It’s been slightly overshadowed,’ Howie Ray, 42, told the AFP. ‘I think there was fatigue after all the games of the group stage and then the US getting eliminated. Spain and Argentina are also relatively small immigrant populations.
‘You also have the regular folks leave for the weekend during the summer.’
Many visitors from Spain and Argentina did cross the Atlantic for the World Cup, but rather than pack into Times Square, they decided to splurge on tickets.
‘Money comes back,’ Buenos Aires resident Manuel Lopez Maccotta told The Associated Press. ‘This is once in a lifetime. You´re seeing the best player in the world [Lionel Messi] in his last World Cup. Money is worthless compared to this.’
Spain’s support for refugees in war-torn Gaza led some to wave Palestinian flags after the win
An Argentina fan hugs a fan of Spain in Times Square ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final
An Argentina fan wishes luck to a fan of Spain in the crowd in Times Square on Sunday
And how much did he pay?
‘Almost 10K in American money,’ said Maccotta, whose friend got off relatively easy with a $5,000 ticket.
‘I bought the ticket before the World Cup final,’ Santiago Burcaco told the AP.
Argentina and Spain fans were comrades in this struggle.
Madrid’s Curro Sanchez spent $8,000 on his ticket, and will now be staying in the city through Thursday.
‘Had a big, big, big fight with my wife,’ Sanchez told the AP. ‘At the end of the day, she understood.’
Discover more from PressNewsAgency
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.