They sing, they stomp, they dance. World Cup fans from Argentina, Spain spent cash at the final | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

World Cup final fans from Argentina and Spain turned the match in East Rutherford, New Jersey, into a high-spending travel event centered on Lionel Messi’s likely final appearance, and the noise made even Tom Cruise’s attempt at a pregame-style speech difficult to hear. The two countries’ supporters arrived after traveling thousands of miles, paying “almost 10K” and “$5,000” for tickets, and debating costs against the value of watching Messi. A Buenos Aires couple, Guadalupe Villar and her husband, said they paid about $7,000 each after winning semifinal tickets versus England in Atlanta and then extending their trip to the final; their nearly 2-year-old daughter was free. Bad weather canceled their Atlanta-to-New York flight, so they drove 15 hours north from Atlanta, arriving at 5 a.m. on matchday. Spain won 1-0 in extra time through Ferran Torres’ goal.