As a showcase for sport's mystical powers of unity, perhaps only Barry McGuigan's world title triumph three years later transcended the Troubles to the same degree.
But exactly 40 years ago on Saturday, Gerry Armstrong's winner for Northern Ireland against World Cup hosts Spain in a Valencia cauldron sparked street parties all over Belfast. Briefly, it even left Billy Bingham's heroes homeless. Nobody gave them a prayer of progressing beyond the group phase and they had been booked on the next flight home.
And nobody had planned a civic reception because Northern Ireland were simply not expected to reach the same stage of the tournament as Zico's Brazil, Diego Maradona's Argentina and Ron Greenwood's England. By the time Armstrong was waving to the crowds from the squad's open-top bus parade through the streets of Belfast, it was November and he was on crutches after breaking his ankle on Watford's maiden voyage in the top flight.
