Argentina wins! And Miami Beach gets a traffic jam! It's nothing new when La Albiceleste notch a big victory, but fans deliriously celebrating Argentina's nailbiting 1-0 victory over Switzerland this afternoon have flooded out of a pair of restaurants in the Beach and snarled cars for blocks.
"This happens every 4 years since Argentina ends up in the finals usually," says Sgt. Bobby Hernandez, a Miami Beach Police Department spokesman. "We just want to make sure that everyone can have a good time."
The mass crowds spilled into the streets shortly after the game wrapped up near the corner of 73rd Street and Collins Avenue, where Buenos Aires Cafe and nearby Manolo are prime spots for the blue-and-white faithful to gather.
Police are currently on the scene for crowd and traffic control. 73rd Street is closed between Collins and Dickens Ave. to help alleviate the crush.
"We know fans come to the restaurant and then go into the streets after a win," Hernandez says. "We give them the street so that way they can celebrate without blocking Collins."
Instagram and Twitter posts show a crowd reveling in the win, turning this piece of Miami Beach into a slice of Buenos Aires:
#MiamiBeach #Argentina #ArgentinaVsSwitzerland pic.twitter.com/vxJcGuDXX7
— JRodriguez (@JRodzMIA) July 1, 2014
#Argentina locals go crazy on #MiamiBeach after victory #ArgentinaVsSwitzerland @MiamiBeachPD keeping order pic.twitter.com/l2R6ej4rP8
— JRodriguez (@JRodzMIA) July 1, 2014
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