Lionel Scaloni dismissed Argentina-England history ahead of World Cup semi-final
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni insisted Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final against England was “just a game of football”, refusing to add to the story of one of international football’s fiercest rivalries after his side reached the last four with a hard-fought win over Switzerland.
Argentina beat Switzerland 3-1 after extra time in Kansas City on Saturday, they booked their second straight World Cup semi-final and stayed on course to defend the title they won in Qatar four years ago. Alexis Mac Allister sent the defending champions into an early lead but Dan Ndoye deservedly equalized midway through the second half as Switzerland produced another resilient performance.
The match turned in Argentina’s favor when Breel Embolo was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for simulation. Even with the numerical advantage, Scaloni’s side struggled to break the Swiss resistance before Julian Alvarez struck in the 112th minute. Substitute Lautaro Martinez then sealed the win with a third goal in stoppage time.
The reward is a thrilling semi-final against England in Atlanta, a game that produced some of the most memorable moments in World Cup history.
The rivalry goes beyond football. Meetings between the two nations were often seen against the backdrop of the Falklands War, known in Argentina as the Malvinas Conflict, after Britain reclaimed the islands in 1982 following an Argentine invasion.
The football rivalry has been equally impressive, most famously in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup, when Diego Maradona inspired Argentina to a 2-1 victory with the infamous “Hand of God” goal and his remarkable solo effort, widely regarded as one of the greatest goals in football history.
Argentina later eliminated England on penalties at the 1998 World Cup, before England took revenge by winning the group stage in 2002.
‘JUST A FOOTBALL GAME’
Despite this history, Scaloni wanted to focus firmly on football.
“Look, this is football,” Scaloni said after Saturday’s win. “Okay, the news is this is a football game. That’s all I can say.” It is a football match and we will be playing against a very tough opponent. They have an excellent coach and this is football and that’s all.”
Scaloni acknowledged that Argentina will need to improve after another tough knockout game. The world champions were also pressured hard by Cape Verde and Egypt in the previous rounds before they eventually prevailed.
“We won because of our ambition. We didn’t want it to go to penalties,” he said. “It was more about the desire to win than the quality of the game.
Although Argentina have not always had the best flow, they are now one win away from reaching their second consecutive World Cup final. Scaloni said reaching another semi-final was an achievement that should not be taken for granted.
“We are in the semi-finals, a privileged position in football that we might take for granted, but it is not that simple,” he said.
“We have every reason to be happy, satisfied and excited.” Now we go after everything we can until the end, with every last drop of strength and every last drop of sweat.
“If we can do it, great. If not, we’ll give it our all. No doubt about it.”
England, meanwhile, stand between Argentina and another World Cup final, ensuring the latest chapter of one of football’s greatest rivalries will once again be written on the sport’s biggest stage.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
12 Jul 2026 14:40 IST