Sawt Falasteen - Viva! Delirium in Madrid as Spain reach World Cup final

"I am so happy and very proud of the team," a euphoric Jaime Sanchez, 19, told AFP as thousands of revellers streamed out of the official fan zone in central Madrid after watching the 2-0 win.

"People didn't give us a chance, but we were able to beat France and we will beat whoever it may be in the final," the student said.

Swarms of people sporting Spain football shirts milled around central Madrid with the red and yellow Spanish flag draped over their shoulders or painted on their cheeks.

"Long live Spain!", "I am Spanish!", they chanted, capturing the moment on their phones and dancing to popular stadium tunes.

People who were turned away from the fan zone in Colon Square occupied a bus lane, sat on patches of grass or on walls, craning their necks to glimpse the giant screen.

Others crowded around overflowing bars and restaurants showing the match and followed it from the streets.

The showdown in Arlington, Texas had been viewed as worthy of a final, with pundits pointing to France's fearsome attack that boasts superstar Kylian Mbappe and Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele.

But Spain managed to snuff out Les Bleus as a Mikel Oyarzabal penalty and a goal from Pedro Porro took Luis de la Fuente's side to Sunday's final in New Jersey with a superbly controlled display.

- 'Players look confident' -

Before the game, 17-year-old student Erika Barea admitted that the French attack "scares me a lot, because the only thing I don't want is for France to win".

But she pointed to Spain's superior record in recent encounters against France as a cause for optimism.

La Roja knocked France out of Euro 2024 en route to the title and defeated Didier Deschamps's men in last year's Nations League semi-finals.

Jaime Lopez, a 19-year-old music student, had insisted Spain's collective strength was enough to get over the line against star-studded France -- and he was right.

"In general, I think they form a good team. They don't have very big stars, but they have a good team that knows how to play well," he told AFP.

The form of Spain forward Lamine Yamal, who celebrated his 19th birthday on Monday, had been subject to scrutiny after he arrived at the World Cup still recovering from an injury.

Yet the teenage superstar played an important role as he won the first-half penalty that broke the deadlock.

"I think he's been getting better," insisted Celia Vazquez, a 50-year-old administrator who lives in Barcelona.

"He's been a bit quiet, but always when you go out onto the pitch, being in a game like that, I think it motivates you, you get fired up," Vazquez said.

Contemplating the prospect of Spain repeating their 2010 World Cup triumph in South Africa, student Sanchez remembered celebrating with his family as a young child and hoped to live the experience again.

"Enjoy this moment as much as possible, you only live it, not once in life, but twice if we win this World Cup," he said.

Z.Ramadan--SF-PST