FIFA World Cup 2026 Advertisement live Updated 25s ago England and Argentina face off for a place in the World Cup final in Atlanta, Georgia. Lionel Messi’s Argentina are looking to make back-to-back finals after lifting the trophy four years ago, while England have only once before appeared in soccer’s showpiece game, in 1966. When England and Argentina met at the Estadio Azteca in 1986 for what became known as the ‘Hand of God’ game, the armed conflict between the two nations over the Falkland Islands four years earlier loomed large in the background. In a 2019 documentary, Diego Maradona described the unpenalised handball that produced the iconic goal — or infamous one, depending on where you are from — as “symbolic revenge” for the Falklands War. But 44 years on from the conflict, its most tangible impact on this World Cup has been that FIFA will not allow English referees Michael Oliver or Anthony Taylor to officiate the final if Argentina qualify. Neither could have officiated today’s game because of England’s involvement, regardless of their opponents, as is standard for referees representing one of the competing nations. Lionel Messi, the oldest player on the pitch today, was born three years after the Falklands War ended. Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni was nevertheless asked about the political subplots after his side’s quarter-final win over Switzerland. He responded: “This is a football game. They have an excellent coach, and this is a football game, and that’s all.” England and Argentina are familiar foes in one sense but not in another. It is 21 years since they last met, in November 2005, for a friendly — a curious word in the context of this fixture — in Switzerland. Lionel Messi, then 18, missed that game through suspension after being sent off on his international debut against Hungary three months earlier. Facing England will therefore be a new experience for a man whose international career has spanned 21 years and 205 appearances. England friendlies tend to feel like a chore. The number of genuinely entertaining ones over the past couple of decades could probably be counted on one hand. The pick of the bunch, however, came the last time these sides met. It was late 2005 and both had qualified for the following year’s World Cup in Germany. The friendly, played on neutral ground in Geneva, Switzerland, saw both countries field uncharacteristically strong sides. Michael Owen’s late brace secured a memorable 3-2 victory for England and marked the first time either nation had recorded consecutive wins in this fixture. Thomas Tuchel will desperately hope England make it three in a row today. David Beckham and Diego Simeone may well have considered the possibility of their countries meeting in today’s semi-final when they posed for a photograph together at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on July 5. Beckham posted the picture on Instagram with the caption: “Bumped into an old friend in Miami…” It was, of course, a cheeky reference to Simeone baiting Beckham into the kick that earned the England midfielder a red card when the sides met in the World Cup round of 16 on June 30, 1998. The score was 2-2 when Beckham was sent off and remained that way through extra time, before Argentina progressed on penalties. Fast-forward 28 years and both men were in attendance for Argentina’s round-of-32 tie against Cape Verde in South Florida. A seemingly one-sided contest on paper instead became one of the games of the tournament, with Argentina requiring extra time to emerge with a dramatic 3-2 victory. Despite all that drama, Beckham’s photograph with Simeone still became a viral subplot — perhaps helped by the fact that they were likely supporting the same side. Beckham is a co-owner of MLS club Inter Miami, who employ Argentina stars Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul. Simeone’s son Giuliano, meanwhile, plays under him at Atletico Madrid and is part of Argentina’s squad. It would be no surprise to see both men
Fuente: NYT — Ver nota original
