Kansas City (AFP) – Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni insisted Wednesday’s heavyweight World Cup semi-final against England was “just a football game” after his side beat Switzerland 3-1 in the last eight.
Alexis Mac Allister put the defending champions ahead early in Kansas City on Saturday, but Dan Ndoye scored a deserved equaliser midway through the second half. Disaster struck minutes later for Switzerland when Breel Embolo was shown a second yellow card for simulation, reducing them to 10 men. Julian Alvarez broke Swiss hearts in the 112th minute before substitute Lautaro Martinez added a last-gasp third.
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Argentina now turn their attention to the semi-final in Atlanta, which promises to be a tense encounter. The history of matches between England and Argentina is peppered with flashpoints on the pitch, set against a lingering sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands, known in Spanish as the Malvinas, in the South Atlantic Ocean. Britain sent a military taskforce in 1982 to reclaim the islands after Argentine troops invaded.
But Scaloni sought to put politics aside after Argentina’s victory at the Arrowhead Stadium. “Look, this is a football game,” he said. “OK, so the message is this is a football game. That’s what I can say. It is a football game and we will be playing against a very tough opponent. They have an excellent coach and this is a football game and that’s all.”
The game against England comes 40 years after a seismic encounter in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Argentina secured a 2-1 victory at the Estadio Azteca with two goals from Diego Maradona — one the infamous “Hand of God” goal and the other a dazzling solo effort considered one of the best ever. The teams have faced each other twice in World Cups since — Argentina won on penalties in 1998 while England gained revenge four years later.
Scaloni admitted the defending champions would have to improve after another tough test following gruelling 3-2 wins over Cape Verde and Egypt. “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 play.”
He added: “We are in the semi-finals, a privileged position in football that we might take for granted, but it’s not that easy. We have every reason to be happy, satisfied, and excited. Now we’re going for everything we can, right to the end, with every last ounce of strength and every last drop of sweat. If we pull it off, great. If not, we’re going to give it our all. Let there be no doubt about that.”
© 2024 AFP
