Argentina and England to contest World Cup semi-final as Spain reach final

ATLANTA: Argentina and England will meet on Wednesday for a place in the World Cup final, with Spain already through after beating France in the other semi-final.

The last-four tie brings together two leading sides in world football, with Lionel Scaloni's Argentina chasing a second successive World Cup title. If they succeed, Argentina would become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to retain the trophy. The run has also kept alive the possibility of a remarkable ending to Lionel Messi's World Cup career after he led Argentina to the title in Qatar in 2022.

Messi, 39, has returned for another tournament after what had been expected to be his final World Cup appearance four years ago. He is level at the top of the Golden Boot standings with eight goals and has been central to Argentina's progress, scoring in 3-2 wins over Cape Verde and Egypt.

England, managed by Thomas Tuchel, have advanced with the help of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, who have scored 12 of the team's 13 goals in the tournament. While England have not been consistently fluent, they are now aiming to reach their first World Cup final since winning the competition in 1966.

According to Tuchel, Declan Rice is fit to start despite having been troubled by illness. Speaking before the match, the England coach said:

"I don't feel a burden," he said. "We feel the tension and will be nervous but that is normal.

"What I like is that I feel the players are really competitive, hungry and excited to play this match."

History and wider backdrop

The teams are meeting in a competitive fixture for the first time since the 2002 World Cup. Their World Cup history includes Argentina's 2-1 quarter-final win in Mexico in 1986, a match remembered for Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal and his solo effort in the same game. In 1998, David Beckham was sent off as Argentina went through on penalties in France.

The match also comes against the backdrop of the long-running sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands, which Argentina calls the Malvinas. Britain sent a military taskforce in 1982 after Argentine troops invaded the islands.

Scaloni sought to separate that history from the football occasion in his pre-match remarks.

"The reality is this is a football match," he said. "I am not going to mix everything up, especially regarding things that happened so long ago.

"It was a very sad time in our history, and we can't do much about it. This is a football game, that's all."

Both teams are ranked in Fifa's top four and the winners will go on to face Spain in Sunday's final in New Jersey.

Spain end French hopes

Spain booked their place in the final on Tuesday with a 2-0 win over France in Arlington, Texas. France had been widely backed to claim a third World Cup title after strong attacking performances earlier in the competition, but Spain produced what was described as a masterclass to end Didier Deschamps' World Cup tenure with defeat.

Mikel Oyarzabal gave Spain the lead with a penalty in the first half, and Pedro Porro added the second after the break. The result sent the European champions into the final for a chance to add the world title.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said the team had stayed true to its approach throughout the cycle.

"We started almost four years ago with an idea and we've been faithful to that idea and it's brought us here," said De la Fuente.

"These players deserve everything," he added. "Day after day they've shown their commitment, their solidarity, their generosity, their talent. They make the difficult look easy."