A Victory Transcends Cultural Differences: 'We Are United'

BONDY, France — The cheers could be heard all the way from Calais to Marseille when the final second ticked past and France was the indisputable victor of the 2018 men’s soccer World Cup final Sunday.

Cars honked, noisemakers went off and smoke bombs sent blue, red and white streams into the air. French flags appeared at windows, thrown over people’s shoulders and flying out of car windows, against the backdrop of an enormous one rippling from the Arc de Triomphe. People jumped onto car roofs, and crowds filled the Champs-Élysées.