Lionel Messi’s Argentina face England in a World Cup semi-final on Wednesday, with Spain lurking after destroying French hopes of a third triumph.
The meeting between two of the great beasts of world football is quite attractive, but long-standing political tensions give it a special touch.
Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina are looking to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups, which would be a stunning send-off for the incomparable Messi.
The 39-year-old, joint leader of the Golden Boot standings with eight goals, inspired his team to victory in Qatar in 2022 in what was expected to be his last hurray on football’s biggest stage.
But he has come back for more and played a key role in dragging his team to the semi-finals, scoring in hard-fought 3-2 wins against Cape Verde and Egypt.
Three-time champions Argentina will face an opponent of a different class in Atlanta compared to the teams they have faced so far, even if England have only shined intermittently.
Thomas Tuchel’s men have relied on the brilliance of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, who have scored 12 of England’s 13 goals.
The teams will meet for the first time in a competitive match since the 2002 World Cup.
Tuchel said he felt no additional pressure despite the historic nature of the match, as England aim for their first World Cup final since winning the tournament in 1966.
“I don’t feel a burden,” he said. “We will feel the tension and we will be nervous, but that is normal.
“What I like is that I feel like the players are really competitive, they’re hungry and they’re excited to play this game.”
The German added that midfielder Declan Rice, who has been battling illness, was fit to start.
Drama
The history of the meeting is full of drama.
Their most historic World Cup encounter was a 2-1 victory for Argentina in the quarter-finals in Mexico in 1986, featuring two goals from Diego Maradona: one, the infamous “Hand of God” goal and the other, a dazzling solo effort.
Twelve years later, David Beckham was sent off in France when Argentina won on penalties.
The matches between the teams take place in the context of a persistent sovereignty dispute over the Malvinas Islands, in the South Atlantic Ocean.
Britain sent a military task force in 1982 to recapture the islands after Argentine troops invaded them.
Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni has tried in recent days to ease the sting of the match.
“The reality is that this is a football game,” he said. “I’m not going to mix everything up, especially regarding things that happened so long ago.
“It was a very sad moment in our history and we can’t do much about it. This is a football game, that’s all.”
The two teams, both ranked by FIFA among the world’s top four, are competing for the right to face Spain in Sunday’s final in New Jersey.
Luis de la Fuente’s team put on a masterclass in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday to dispatch France, who were widely tipped to win the World Cup for a third time after their arrogant attacking displays.
But European champions Spain produced a clinical performance that ensured French coach Didier Deschamps ended his World Cup career with a defeat.
Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring for the 2010 winners with a powerful penalty in the first half and Pedro Porro doubled the lead in the second half.
“We started almost four years ago with an idea and we have been faithful to that idea and it has brought us here,” De la Fuente said.
“These players deserve everything,” he added. “Day after day they have demonstrated their commitment, their solidarity, their generosity, their talent. They make the difficult look easy.”
