Fans continue to celebrate Argentina's FIFA World Cup victory across Bengal

kolkata: Football fans in soccer-crazy Bengal on Monday continued the party that started minutes after Argentina trounced France in a nail-biting final, as celebrations of varied nature were on display across the state.

Overnight revelry with cars honking their approval of football wizard Lionel Messi's feat, people making merry on the streets and crackers being burst went on till the early hours of the morning.

Morning walkers at Kolkata's Rabindra Sarobar sported Argentina colours, while tea shops that opened early saw fans congregating to celebrate the South American nation's world cup win after 36 years.

In Deshapriya Park area of the metropolis, a tea shop is offering the beverage free of cost for the entire day on Monday to commemorate Argentina's victory. "Tea free for Argentina win", read small banners placed on the shop's wooden exterior.

Most clubs and many 'paras' (localities) had put up big screens and projectors to show the final match on Sunday night. Bengali actor Saheb Bhattacharya, son of former India striker Subroto Bhattacharya, said he rushed back from a show to watch the closing minutes of the "grand final" and once assured that his "team Argentina had won an astounding victory", organised an impromptu street party of fellow actors and actresses.

"We will party on with an Argentine menu, which my mother has promised to cook," Saheb, who acted in a few movies directed by Satyajit Ray's son Sandip, said.

The border town of Siliguri in north Bengal, which is the gateway to the equally football-loving northeast, too, had riotous celebrations, with motorcyclists and car drivers circling around the streets.In the industrial town of Asansol, ladoos were distributed in the morning in several localities as fans danced to the tune of drums and waved Argentine flags.

The publishers and booksellers of boipara in College Street celebrated Argentina winning the World Cup title by selling books at huge discounts. According to Gourav Adhikary of Deep Prakashan, the celebration was not just pertaining to Argentina's win of the title but also it being the last world cup match of Lionel Messi. To commemorate that, the publication had decided on selling more than 1,000 titles for a flat discount of 30 per cent, just for Monday till 8 pm.