Messi and Scaloni Are One Win Away From Something Only Brazil Has Done. England Stands in Their Way.

Lionel Scaloni didn’t hesitate. Not for a second.

Argentina’s manager was asked about Diego Maradona’s two goals against England in 1986. The Hand of God and the Goal of the Century. Scaloni smiled.

“I think everyone remembers that game, and Diego’s performance, above all, the second goal, which will remain in all our hearts because it was so beautiful.” He paused. “It was a marvellous goal, and any football lover remembers it that way. And it just happened to be against England.”

That part is hard to forget. Argentina and England meet Wednesday in a World Cup semifinal that carries decades of noise. Political noise. Historical noise. Football noise that started before most of these players were born.

Scaloni doesn’t want any of that nonsense on the pitch.

“The reality is that this is a football match. I can’t mix things up, especially out of respect for what happened so many years ago,” he said, referencing the Falklands War. “It was a very sad period in our history, and there isn’t much we can do about it. Things are happening elsewhere in the world, and we criticise the existence of war. We certainly remember those people. But it is a football match. We shouldn’t confuse the two.”

Messi Is Still Doing Messi Things

The man dragging Argentina through this tournament turns 40 next year. Lionel Messi has eight goals and two assists in six World Cup games this summer. He has never faced England in his 201 appearances for Argentina. Not once.

Scaloni was direct about what Messi means to this group. “We are in good shape, and we really can’t wait. This is a World Cup semifinal, and our hopes are intact. We are so grateful to these players for getting us here again.”

Argentina hasn’t lost a competitive game since 2019. That’s absurd. But they’ve also looked shaky. Extra time against Cape Verde. Two goals down against Egypt before fighting back. Another extra time against Switzerland where they finally showed some juice. They haven’t looked as dominant as France or Spain, yet here they are. One win from the final. Two wins from becoming the first team since Brazil in 1958 and 1962 to lift back-to-back World Cups.

England Has Its Own Stars

Scaloni was asked about Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham. Two guys who have carried England to just its fourth World Cup semifinal.

“We always seek to improve our team and neutralise these players in the best way possible,” he said. “We might make changes, or we might repeat what we’ve done. The players don’t know what the team is yet. We are facing two of the best players in the world, and any head coach would be happy to have them in their squad. We have our weapons, and we’re going to do our best to neutralise them.”

England hasn’t won a trophy since 1966. That same World Cup where this rivalry basically started.

Scaloni leaned on his team’s experience in big knockout games. “We have a little bit of experience playing these games. It doesn’t necessarily give you an advantage, but perhaps it makes you calmer. This is our fifth semifinal as a team, and that puts us at ease. The guys are calm and ready for the game.”

Argentina knows what’s at stake. England knows what’s at stake. The last time these teams met in a World Cup knockout round was 1998. The last time they met at all in a World Cup was 2002. This is different. This is tense. This is history that won’t sit still.