SANTIAGO, Chile
Thousands of Chileans took to the streets Wednesday to celebrate their national team’s 2-0 victory over Spain in the football World Cup in Brazil.
The result puts Spain out of the tournament and means Chile is certain to qualify for the knockout rounds regardless of the results of its match against the Netherlands, which will take place on June 23rd.
Chileans were quietly confident that they could beat the world champions out of the competition, after their own opening 3-1 victory over low-ranking Australia and Spain’s humiliating 5-1 defeat by the Netherlands.
Singing, dancing, and waving flags from before the teams took to the pitch, many people were allowed to leave school and work early in order to watch the match, which began at 3pm local time.
Street vendors selling wigs, face paint, and pointy hats in the national colors of red, white and blue have done a roaring trade in recent days after locals prepared to watch their side play.
Many of those that had to stay at the desks followed the game on large screen televisions purchased together with colleagues in the previous weeks.
Main streets in the city were eerily silent as millions tuned in to watch the game.
Meanwhile, authorities in Santiago have blamed Chileans’ feverish devotion to the sport for a rise in air pollution in recent days.
Deputy Environment Minister Marcelo Mena said a large increase in the number of barbecues being lit as Chileans sat down to watch the match over Australia, combined with a blanket of cold air over the city, caused a concentration of airborne dust to spike to levels not seen in many years.
In response, the regional government has declared an environment alert, restricting the use of vehicles without catalytic convertors and banning agriculture burning and firewood.
Given the impact that worsening air conditions has on people’s health, regional government head Claudio Orrego has even called on Chileans to avoid lighting their barbecues, the preferred way of cooking meat in a country of avid carnivores.
An estimated 40,000 Chileans have travelled to Brazil to follow their team’s exploits in the first World Cup to be held in South America in more than thirty years.
Most, however, lack tickets to any of the games and several tried to break into the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro ahead of Wednesday’s match.
