Argentina and England have met five times previously in the World Cup, matches that have provided some iconic moments.
But they’ve never met as deep into the competition as they will Wednesday, when they’ll spar in a semifinal matchup in Atlanta.
Both teams advanced with extra-time victories Saturday.
Argentina defeated 10-man Switzerland 3-1 in Kansas City, Mo., after England dispatched Belgium 2-1 earlier in the day in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Julian Alvarez scored the tiebreaker in the 112th minute and Lautaro Martinez added an insurance goal in stoppage time as defending champion Argentina prevailed. Alexis Mac Allister also tallied in the 10th minute off an assist from Lionel Messi — whose streak of goals in nine straight World Cup matches came to an end but who got his record 10th career assist in the competition.
“I’m very happy,” said Alvarez, whose curling, right-footed strike from just outside the top of the penalty area on the left side found the upper far corner of the net, just eluding the reach of Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
“We tried until the end, things got difficult even though we had a man extra for the whole of extra time,” Alvarez continued, “but we knew if we kept going together, the goal would come.”
Dan Ndoye scored for Switzerland, which played short-handed from the 72nd minute on after Breel Embolo received a second yellow card and was ejected. The latter was for simulation after a video review by referee Joao Pedro Silva Pinheiro.
“(Argentina) didn’t have anything else in the first half, just a corner goal,” Switzerland team captain Granit Xhaka said after the game, per The Athletic. “The second half was our game. We knew that step by step, we can take more risks.
“We took it, we scored on the pitch, we felt very good,” Xhaka added. “We had more energy, we had more belief as well, and the red card changed everything. I think the red card changed our game plan, what we had from the beginning, which was very positive.”
Kobel and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez both made four saves.
Switzerland got the tying goal in the 67th minute following a sustained push.
Ndoye played a give-and-go with Ricardo Rodriguez near the top left corner of the penalty area. Ndoye got the ball back and dribbled to the edge of the 6-yard box before putting a low shot between Martinez’s legs as the goalie started to go down.
“The truth is we suffered today. We knew they were a very physical team. I think they put us in a lot of difficulty,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. “We weren’t able to get out of certain situations. The truth is that luck was on our side today, because they had a player sent off and, from there, the team went on the attack.”
“We have to be realistic, we have things to improve on, but winning is always better,” Scaloni added. “That said, what this team achieved today is historic. Even though we could have played better, being in a semifinal again is historic.”
Argentina and England first met in the group stage in 1962 in Chile, with the Three Lions coming away with a 3-1 victory.
Host England defeated La Albiceleste 1-0 in the quarterfinals in 1966 on their way to their one and only World Cup title.
Argentina got their first win over England in the 1986 quarterfinals in Mexico, a match known not only for Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal, but also his strike that FIFA later declared the goal of the century, in which he dribbled from his own half of the field with 11 touches in 11 seconds through much of the England squad before scoring.
Argentina defeated 10-man England 4-3 on penalties in 1998 following a 2-2 round of 16 draw in France after David Beckham was issued a red card early in the second half.
Beckham got redemption in 2002, scoring from the penalty spot in a 1-0 victory against Argentina in the group stage in Japan.
Can the teams top those Wednesday in Atlanta?
Argentina has struggled through its knockout-round victories, edging Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time on July 3 and rallying from a two-goal deficit in the final 12 minutes of regulation to defeat Egypt 3-2 on July 7 before another extra-time win Saturday.
And yet, they’re just two wins away from being the second team to win consecutive World Cups, with Brazil currently the only nation to have done so in 1958 and 1962.
“We’d prefer to win games earlier, but we know it’s not easy,” Alvarez said. “There are two more left, and we’re going to go for them with everything.”
–Field Level Media
