NIAGARA FALLS, Canada ¨C Pints of beer, bowls of ?poutine, maple candies and Niagara Falls for a backdrop ¡ª Canadians and tourists at one of the most iconic natural wonders in North America were spoiled for choices when they turned up to watch ?Canada take on Qatar at the World Cup.
The cherry ?on top ?was a historic first World Cup win for Canada in its Group B match in Vancouver.
Ecstatic supporters hugged their friends and families at the final whistle, which ?capped off a dominant display by Canada against a Qatar side that ?ended the match with nine men.
¡°We¡¯re here for Canada¡¯s first-ever win at the FIFA World Cup, ?set next to one ?of Canada¡¯s natural landmarks,¡± said ?Dylan McAleer, a ?local resident. ¡°It¡¯s unreal. What an experience. You couldn¡¯t ask for more.
¡°Watch out for Canada. We¡¯re coming ?out. This is our time, I think.¡±
The ?gathering, organized by Niagara Parks, welcomed hundreds of people just steps away from the cascading waterfalls.
Every goal from Canada was cheered by fans as they rose from their ?Muskoka chairs, with some breaking into a celebratory dance.
Fifty-seven-year-old Najeeb Bataineh, a resident of the city of St. Catharines, started handing out a Canadian flag to every person he could find as Canada¡¯s ?win ?looked inevitable.
¡°I love Canada,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m going to bring... ?free flag every game.¡±
In a country where ice ?hockey and baseball take the limelight at the expense of every other sport, the euphoric win on Thursday seemed to warm some Canadians to the sport.
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