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This is an archive article published on June 27, 2018

FIFA World Cup 2018: Diego Maradona’s celebrations steal the show as Argentina beat Nigeria

As Argentina secured the final 16th spot in the 2018 World Cup knockouts stage defeating Nigeria in a 2-1 win, it was not the star players on the field that got everyone talking on Twitter. Football legend Maradona garnered all the attention from the stands and meme-makers are having a gala time.

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argentina vs nigeria, fifa world cup 2018, foot ball world cup, diego maradona, maradona argentina celebration, maradona dance nigeria fan, maradona messi goal celebration, foot world cup memes, indian express, sports news Not Lionel Messi or Marcos Rojo, Netizens can’t have enough of Diego Maradona from the nail-biting Group D match between Argentina vs Nigeria.

After a humiliating defeat in previous encounter and a tame draw in their group opener, Argentina finally won a thrilling match against Nigeria and secured their place in the next round. Staring at elimination, skipper Lionel Messi rose up to the occasion and put Argentina ahead in the 14th minute. But Nigeria equalised through a Victor Moses penalty in the 51st minute. And while all this action on the field kept millions of fans around the world glued to their screens, it was legend Diego Maradona who stole the show from the stands.

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From his excitement after the first goal was scored by Messi to the exuberant celebration that followed after the victory – everything was caught on camera and later became a talk of the town on social media. Netizens along with celebrities couldn’t stop talking how Maradona’s presence and excitement added not only pressure but was a summary of what they all felt.

One particular moment from the match is garnered a lot of attention as Argentina’s leading man from 1986 World Cup danced with a fan from the opposition team and romped around. The small clip quickly went viral and Tweeple were excited to see his sultry moves.

Celebrating Messi’s goal, Maradona threw his hands out wide then crossed them on his chest Wakanda-style before looking to the sky, his bizarre celebration too garnered a lot of attention online and got a meme treatment.

He was caught flipping off the crowd too. He raised both his middle fingers towards the crowd and mouthed the Spanish word “puto” which translates to “dogs” in English while celebrating the Rojo’s winning goal. While most were not happy with his gesture, others justified it.

What was your favourite Maradona moment from the match? Tell us in comments below.

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