England and Argentina reignite their testy rivalry when they meet in the semi-final of the ongoing World Cup on Wednesday.
The Three Lions will be facing Argentina for the first time in twenty-four years and the game is poised to be tense from the onset.
Echoes of previous meetings and political kerfuffles are lurking behind this upcoming fixture in Atlanta.
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni quickly rubbished a question asked by a journalist about extra motivation due to the history between the two nations outside football.
The 48-year-old opined that “this is just a football match” to the press. But some of us see through this PR theatre.
He will surely go into this game thinking about “de los pibes de Malvinas,” as their song goes.
The Falklands War happened between these two nations in 1982. Argentina invaded the islands until the British armada retook them in 10 weeks.
Four years later, the two nations opened old wounds in the Azteca when they met in the quarter-final stage.
It was the Englishmen who went back home with their tails between their legs, as Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ and ‘Goal of the Century’ were enough to settle scores and make an enemy out of Peter Shilton forever.
The two sides have only met twice since the infamous incident in Azteca. They first met in France in 1998 before a group stage game in 2002.
Argentina came out on top in a penalty shootout in Saint-Étienne, while England also won 1-0 in Sapporo, Japan.
The storied history between these two nations is still alive and has found its way back into the conversation in a modern-day clash.
La Albiceleste and Thomas Tuchel’s men will be willing to deal a mortal blow to each other in a bid to have a place in the final which is slated for July 19, 2026.
