TIJUANA.- "Where are they? Where are they, the Brazilians who were going to beat us?", that was the chant of hundreds of Tijuanenses gathered earlier on Saturday at the Cuahutémoc traffic circle in Zona Río to celebrate the historic gold medal Mexico just won at the Olympic Games.

This morning the whole country got up early to see the feat by the National Selection which resulted in a 2-1 win over Brazil and this border city seized the opportunity to celebrate one of the biggest accomplishments of Mexican soccer.

Tijuana's heart dressed in green, white and red. Mexican flags spoke for a nation overcome with joy. Children, adults and even some dogs showed their love for the green jersey and joined the chant of "Mexico! Mexico!"

"It was time for something like this, it was worth it getting up so early" said Eduardo Salas, 24, a Tijuana resident.

Some fans showered any car that would allow them to with white foam, for a moment there was a white cloud over the crowd.

Motorcycles, bikes and cars joined the celebration while surrounding the statue. The car horns didn't stop and could be heard in all the quarter.

Some fans even reenacted the "Vuelta Olímpica" in which a soccer team runs around the stadium after winning a tournament; the fans jogged around the monument.

"Let it be heard throughout Mexico that here in Tijuana we celebrate our national team" said Mrs. Mirna Díaz, who attended with her two daughters.

The celebration was protected by security measures and at every moment, was under the guard of the City Police who, according to reports, apprehended over 20 people for vandalism.

alexandra.mendoza@sandiegored.com

Translation by Karen Balderas