Brazilians Chant 'Cry! Cry! Argentina' After Germany's World Cup Victory

Brazilian football fans have joined their German counterparts in celebrating the Europeans' Fifa World Cup victory against Argentina, forgetting their own humiliating 1-7 semi-final defeat.

While fireworks lighted up the skies in Brasilia and Sao Paulo as soon as Mario Goetze scored an extra-time goal, Brazilian fans near the stadium went on chanting "Cry! Cry! Argentina!" referring to Madonna's 1978 musical Evita song "Don't cry for me Argentina".

"Thank God, thank God that Germany won. If Argentina had won, they would have made fun of us for years," Caio Ferraz, 45, who was at the Rio de Janerio's Copacabana beach to watch the finals in a giant screen, told a local daily.

Many Brazilians even painted their faces in German colours and German flags, supporting the European nation.

Minor skirmishes have also been reported outside the Maracana Stadium and a few other places between Argentina fans and the Brazilians. Police personnel used tear gas to disperse mobs.

Despite Brazil undergoing a crushing defeat at the hands of German team earlier, the country's fans were in favour of Germany winning against Argentina because of the historic rivalry, frequently referred to as "Battle of the South Americans," between the Latin American nations.

Since the beginning of the tournament, thousands of Argentines descended in Brazil, with many often publicly taunting the host nation that football hero Diego Maradona was superior to Brazilian legend Pele.

Meanwhile, even before the Fifa World Cup party gets over, the focus has turned to domestic issues. President Dilma Rousseff, who is running for re-election later this year, was booed when she made a brief speech at the stadium.

There was widespread public outcry over Brazil's big spending for the tournament ignoring the improvement of education, healthcare and other vital issues in the country.