Israel's Netta has made a come-from-behind victory in voting in Eurovision 2018, taking the top honor at the 62nd edition of the renowned European song contest. Her song "Toy" bested the late odds maker favorite from Cyprus, while Austria came in third. CGTN's Al Goodman was there.

They don't sing it quite as well as Netta, Israel's artist who won Eurovision 2018 in Lisbon, with her catchy song, "Toy". This contingent of Israelis at the Eurovision fan zone in downtown Lisbon were on edge during the hours-long televised song contest. Until the final votes were in from fans across Europe, who pushed Netta into first place. Across town, Eurovision was held at a concert arena, and Netta's song looked a lot slicker on stage. She's just 25, but like some other contestants at Eurovision, she's already worked several years as an entertainer.

NETTA EUROVISION 2018 WINNER FOR ISRAEL "The competition with myself is a very long one, and waiting for the results was horrifying, like 30 minutes."

In the fan zone, her Israeli supporters were vocal all night long.

OREN KLIVANSKY BANKER "I don't believe it. Yaaa, Wow, Netta, Netta."

KAREN TRAEGER ENGLISH TEACHER "She's amazing. She has such a special character. She's a winner and we always believed in her. She's great."

Hours earlier, fans across Lisbon got ready to see the finalists from 26 countries in the decisive round of Eurovision. Many, like these Spaniards, knew the words to their contestant's songs. Eurovision is now in its 63rd edition and has boosted the careers of artists like Sweden's ABBA or Spain's Julio Iglesias. Past editions have had some unusual characters on stage, but this year's Eurovision became a horse race after betting houses listed various artists as front-runners.

AL GOODMAN LISBON "You could see the excitement in the crowd when the singer from Cyprus took the stage. Odds makers had her as a favorite."

But Cyprus's song, "Fuego" or "Fire", had to settle for second place in Eurovision, while Austria's "Nobody But You" was voted third. Many of the artists sang in English, on a Continent proud of its distinct languages and with a long history of conflict. But in the fan zone and beyond, it was seen as a night to focus on the music, not on tensions. Al Goodman, CGTN, Lisbon.