1 hour ago
Key events
Preamble
There’s been truthful overmuch hype astir this lucifer that it’s important we put it successful perspective. It is, aft all, only nan biggest crippled ever played successful football’s top cross-continent rivalry.
The history of England v Argentina could already capable a Netflix three-parter, albeit without nan chill. It includes nan Hand of God successful 1986, nan Hand of Plod successful 1966 and the Hand of Hod a multi-faceted epic successful 1998 – but this is nan first clip they’ve met successful nan semi-final aliases nan last of a World Cup. For some countries, conclusion is truthful unthinkable that it hurts trying not to deliberation astir it.
In movie-poster terms, this is mentality monsters v mentality monsters. England and Argentina person wheezed into nan semi-finals, relying connected corporate defiance, individual brilliance and a squad tone that moreover Steve Archibald mightiness grudgingly acknowledge. Given nan stakes and nan in-built strength of this fixture, it’s difficult to spot that changing today. Great performances tin hold until 2030.
The unspoken fearfulness for some teams is that this is efficaciously a second-place playoff. Spain will beryllium beardown favourites successful nan last aft taking attraction of France pinch an authority and synergy that gave immoderate of america a sheen of smugness. But disbelief is easy suspended erstwhile you are this adjacent to glory, and correct now millions of England and Argentina supporters conscionable want nan chance to interest astir imaginable decease by tiki-taka.
In a fewer hours’ time, 1 of these statements will beryllium true.
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England are successful their first men’s World Cup last since 1966.
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Argentina are 1 crippled distant from becoming nan first squad to clasp nan men’s World Cup since Brazil successful 1962.
The different one? It happens only successful dreams.
Kick disconnected 8pm BST/3pm EST/5am AEST
