By Jeff Powell Follow @@jeffpowell_Mail On the hungover morning after the World Cup-winning night before, Argentina’s chief of police reported: ‘There were 12 million people rejoicing in the centre of Buenos Aires last night - and not a glass was broken.’ In the pregnant hours before Brazil set the ball rolling for their Copa do Mundo the people of Sao Paulo, never mind the odd cracked beer bottle, are fearful of half their city being smashed to smithereens. Argentina 1978 provided the most intense, passionate and atmospheric finals in the history of the greatest sporting show on earth. So far.
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Argentina 1978 provided the most intense, passionate and atmospheric finals in the history of the greatest sporting show on earth
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Argentina started their home cup of dreams against the nightmare background of that country’s Dirty War, in which thousands of opponents of the ruling military junta disappeared.
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Cesar Luis Menotti – that charismatic, chain-smoking manager of the team – was to become the visible proof that you could defy the Generals. And live
Two evenings later @placeholder invited me to join them at a private celebration in a small hotel.