Anxious, excited and immersed in superstition, Argentines inundated public fan parks and prepared a massive party Sunday in hopes their team would win a long-dreamed-of third World Cup title.
Tens of thousands of people swarmed the fan parks in Buenos Aires, where jumbo screens had been put up for fans to watch national hero Lionel Messi and team play one of the most important matches in the football-mad nation's history.
But elsewhere, an eery silence reigned over the normally bustling capital as Argentines flocked to their TVs for what the media described as "the game of their lives."
Argentina treats football with the reverence of a religion, but the national team has not been to the World Cup final since 1990, and has not won it since 1986.
Winning the final would be a huge boost for national self-esteem at a time when the country is mired in economic troubles and struggling to pay its defaulted debt.
"I'm living these final hours in a state of extreme anxiety, nerves, hope, emotion and anguish," 33-year-old real estate broker German Vazquez said before the match.
"For Argentina, it's the greatest thing that could possibly happen, not just on the level of football but as a country."
Many Argentines have superstitious rituals they hope will help the team win.
Martin Gonzalez, a 35-year-old engineer, said he was wearing a shirt he had not washed since the World Cup began.
"I've worn (it) for every match since we kicked off against Bosnia," he told AFP.
Media reports speculated that President Cristina Kirchner, who declined host Brazil's invitation to attend the game in Rio de Janeiro's Maracana Stadium, was staying away because she was afraid of being branded a jinx if the team lost.
The local press had room for little other news.
"Glory is there, within arm's reach," declared La Nacion daily.
Rival paper Ole carried a front-page picture of Messi beside Rio's iconic Christ the Redeemer statue with the headline "I only ask one thing of God."
An estimated 100,000 Argentines descended on Rio for the match, taking charter jets or driving in convoys of cars.
Many made the six-hour trip from Sao Paulo, where Argentina beat the Netherlands in the semi-final on Wednesday.
- All-day party -
Back home, their compatriots had decked the country out in sky blue and white.
The heart of the party was Plaza San Martin in Buenos Aires, which was flooded by tens of thousands of people.
The city put up additional screens for the fans, including one in the plaza that measured 26 square meters (280 square feet) and a 66-square-meter one in Centenary Park.
If Argentina wins, millions of people are expected to descend on the capital's iconic Obelisk in celebration.
Police said they would reinforce the city's hotspots in the event of a victory.
"Wherever there are jumbo screens, there will be more police, with special attention on Plaza San Martin and Centenary Park," a federal police spokesman said.
Across the country, communities organized day-long festivals building up to the match.
From Guaymallen in the west to Gualeguaychu in the east, cities and towns held theater festivals, concerts, football tournaments and fairs.
Foreign journalists descended on the country to chronicle the post-match reaction.
Hotels around the Obelisk and Plaza San Martin were charging $500 to $800 a night for the rooms with the best views of the crowds.
Messi and his teammates are expected to arrive back in Buenos Aires on Monday morning -- either to a massive party and parade to the city center, or to the heartbreak of 40 million disappointed fans.
Source: AFP