World Cup semi-finals set up France-Spain clash and England-Argentina showdown

ISLAMABAD: A month after the expanded 48-team World Cup began, the tournament has reached the semi-final stage, with France and Spain due to meet on Tuesday before defending champions Argentina take on England a day later.

Argentina secured the last remaining place in the final four late on Saturday in Kansas City, beating 10-man Switzerland after extra time. Alexis Mac Allister put Argentina ahead before Dan Ndoye equalised for Switzerland to force the match beyond 90 minutes. Julian Alvarez then produced a decisive strike and Lautaro Martinez added another goal at the end to seal the result.

The holders are trying to become the first side since Brazil in 1962 to win consecutive World Cups. They will now travel to Atlanta for a semi-final against an England team led by Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane.

England reached the semi-finals after a 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway in Miami on Saturday, with Bellingham scoring both goals. England coach Thomas Tuchel said the team had fallen short of its best despite advancing.

The result is fantastic. The last four is amazing, but not happy with the performance... we were very lucky today

It is only the fourth time England have made the World Cup semi-finals, following previous appearances in 1966, 1990 and 2018. They were beaten in their last two semi-final appearances, while Argentina have won all six of their previous World Cup semi-finals.

Rivalry renewed after four decades

Wednesday's match comes 40 years after Argentina and England met in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals in Mexico. Argentina won that game 2-1 at the Estadio Azteca through two Diego Maradona goals, one remembered as the Hand of God and the other widely regarded among the finest goals scored in World Cup history.

For Lionel Messi, described as Maradona's successor, the semi-final will mark his 206th international appearance and his first match against England. The game will also be played with the long-running Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute in the background. Britain dispatched a military taskforce in 1982 to retake the islands after Argentine forces invaded.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni played down the political backdrop and said the focus remained solely on the match.

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 winners of the England-Argentina semi-final will go through to the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium outside New York City, where either France or Spain will await.

Spain and France meet in repeat of Euro semi-final

France and Spain will face each other in Arlington, outside Dallas, in the first semi-final. The fixture is a repeat of their Euro 2024 semi-final, which Spain won 2-1 before going on to claim that title.

This World Cup is the first in which the draw was arranged to keep the four highest-ranked teams apart until the semi-finals, provided each topped its group. That scenario has played out, with Spain, Argentina, France and England all progressing as expected into the last four.

Spain again look to Lamine Yamal, who scored a remarkable goal in the Euro 2024 semi-final days before turning 17. This World Cup meeting with France will take place a day after his 19th birthday. However, he entered the tournament carrying an injury and has made a limited impact so far, with one goal in six matches.

Spain captain Rodri said Yamal needed to manage the pressure he put on himself.

I think Lamine needs to calm the anxiety he sometimes has because he wants to show how important a player he is for us. He is a very intelligent kid but it is true that he is only 19 at the end of the day.

France, meanwhile, have again relied heavily on Kylian Mbappe, who has scored eight goals in the tournament, including one in the quarter-final victory over Morocco. Mbappe is level with Messi in the race for the Golden Boot and sits one goal short of the Argentine's all-time World Cup tally of 21.

Off the pitch, Spain's former prime minister Mariano Rajoy drew criticism on Sunday after saying in an opinion article published by Spanish online outlet El Debate that the France team had no French players. Spain Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez described the remark as xenophobic, while French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told BFMTV that it was absolutely unacceptable.