Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni brushed aside talk of political undertones surrounding Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final against England, describing the high-stakes clash as simply “a football game,” after his side edged past Switzerland 3-1 in extra time to reach the last four.
Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring early for the defending champions in Kansas City on Saturday, only for Dan Ndoye to level for Switzerland midway through the second half. The Swiss suffered a major blow soon after when Breel Embolo was sent off for a second yellow card, leaving them a man down. Argentina made the advantage count deep into extra time, with Julian Alvarez restoring the lead in the 112th minute before substitute Lautaro Martinez sealed the win in the closing stages.
The victory sets up a tense semi-final in Atlanta against England, a fixture long shadowed by the countries’ 1982 conflict over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas). Scaloni, however, insisted he wanted no part of stoking that narrative, repeatedly stressing that the tie was purely a sporting contest against a well-drilled opponent with a strong coach.
The meeting also arrives 40 years after Diego Maradona’s iconic quarter-final performance against England at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, when his “Hand of God” goal and a mazy solo run secured a 2-1 win for Argentina. The sides have met twice more at World Cups since — Argentina prevailing on penalties in 1998, England winning in 2002.
Reflecting on the win over Switzerland, Scaloni credited his team’s determination rather than the quality of their football, noting Argentina’s hunger to avoid a penalty shootout after previous narrow 3-2 wins over Cape Verde and Egypt. He acknowledged the achievement of reaching back-to-back semi-finals shouldn’t be taken for granted, calling it a privileged position few teams get to experience.
