"Seen & Overheard" is a sometimes column in which we send our photographers and writers to events to bring us back the sights and sounds that transpired therein. Fly-on-the-wall, embedded journalism. Kapow!

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Sunday saw the final of the 2018 World Cup in Moscow, played between Croatia and France. The score at the end of 95 minutes was 4-2, as France hoisted its second World Cup trophy to rapturous cheers from Shanghai's Francophone/phile population. It's been a hell of a tournament, full of shocks, upsets, surprises and firsts; first World Cup held in Eastern Europe; first World Cup held on two continents; first time Iceland and Panama made their appearances in a FIFA tournament; first World Cup to use VAR (video assistant referee); and the first time Found 158 has regularly charged entry for nearly an entire month, ostensible to thin out some of the crowds that were turning up to see the games.

Naturally, as self-appointed chroniclers of every sordid facet of Shanghai's expat existence, we were delighted, delighted, to stand in line for the privilege of elbowing our way to a Budweiser tap down in the sunken city. A line which stretched, at one point, about the length of the park and averaged roughly an hour and a half of waiting time. Delightful. Delighted!

Congrats, France.

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"You realize how fucking stupid this is."
- guy who just joined his friend who's been in line for an hour

"Hey, I'm going to try a different way to get in, but if it doesn't work, remember me."

"They're not letting anyone in! The only reason this line is moving is because people are leaving it!"

"They keep telling us the entrance to TAXX is over there. Like, we know."

"Can you bring some pizza to the stairs?"

"I just love Croatia, man. I've never been there but it's great."

"Don't touch me, man! Don't touch me!"
- to the security guard

"Look, if we can't get in we'll just go watch it at Manhattan."

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Finally, however, we managed to get in, and it was everything we'd hoped for and more! The beautiful game, bringing people together, in a pit.

"Aren't you Serbian? Didn't you guys fight a war?"
"Yeah, but this is football."

"In the time it's taken us to order two beers, there've been two goals."

"Ou est-il, le son of a bitch?!"
- irate lady into her phone

"What the fuck is a Virtual Assistant Referee? Is that what happens if you flunk referee school?"

"Allez Les Bleus! Allez Les Bleus!"
- a sizable crowd of shirtless men

"Fuck the French... Fuck the French..."
- a despondent older gentleman wandering around muttering to himself

"Spoiler alert, man! Spoiler alert!"
- about Le Cafe des Stagiaires' World Cup stream, which was about 20 seconds ahead of CCTV5

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Vive le sport! Vive la France! See you in four years, if we all make it that long!