The 2026 World Cup semi-final between Argentina and England will take place at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Coach Scaloni led the Argentina national team to victory over England (Photo: Getty).
England took the lead in the 55th minute through Anthony Gordon. In the 85th minute, Enzo Fernandez equalized for Argentina, making it 1-1. Then, in the 90+2 minute, Lautaro Martinez headed in the winning goal, securing a 2-1 victory for the Tango team.
After the match, Argentina's coach Lionel Scaloni said: "It was only when we were trailing that Argentina played better. My team usually plays best under pressure. When the opponent drops deep, we push our attacking line forward."
“ The Argentina team is determined to play offensively until the very end. We are determined to do what we need to do, so that even if we lose, the whole team will still be comforted by the fact that we tried our best,” added coach Scaloni.
For Argentinians, every victory against England holds immense significance. It's not just a professional win that propels the Tango team into the final, but also a victory with immense spiritual meaning.
The Argentina team (in dark jerseys) defeated their long-time rivals England (Photo: Reuters).
Coach Scaloni shared his thoughts on this: “I used to think that Maradona’s second goal against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals (dribbling past six English players and scoring) was already history. However, today’s victory also deserves to be called history.”
"The victory was incredible. The players I have are unique. I don't mean to be arrogant, but the current Argentinian players are so different. It's hard to imagine what my players have just shown."
"We had a very difficult match against Egypt in the round of 16, but the game against England was even more challenging," said the head coach of the Argentine national team.
Having defeated England in the semi-finals, Argentina will face Spain in the final on July 20th at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA.