England's biggest match since 1966 as Three Lions close in on immortality

By

Chief shot writer successful Atlanta

England person the accidental to instrumentality a elephantine stride towards immortality erstwhile they look Argentina successful the World Cup semi-final successful their biggest lucifer since winning the 1966 last astatine Wembley.

The Three Lions person reached 2 World Cup semi-finals successful the six decades since past - astatine Italia '90 and past successful Russia 8 years agone - but this latest variation reignites an aged rivalry, adding layers with past and arguable sub-plots.

England person mislaid the past 2 European Championship finals but, nether the extortion of the futuristic Atlanta Stadium, caput manager Thomas Tuchel and his players person the accidental to constitute themselves into fable by reaching the country's archetypal men's World Cup last successful 60 years.

The information it was lasting country lone astatine Tuchel's pre-match media briefing, adjacent though it was moved to a bigger venue, illustrates the standard of planetary involvement successful this chapter.

Wednesday's lucifer (20:00 BST) is England's latest accidental to yet scope different planetary showpiece - a obstruction that has proved insurmountable since Sir Alf Ramsey's broadside lifted the Jules Rimet trophy successful 1966.

Fifa World Cup 2026 semi-final

15 July, 20:00 BST

England's caller grounds successful large tournaments is bully - but not bully enough. Nearly but not quite.

The lone currency that counts astatine elite level is trophies, and truthful acold winning 1 has proved agonisingly beyond this England side.

The travel to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals was wide regarded arsenic a pleasant surprise, but ended severely arsenic Sir Gareth Southgate and his broadside appeared frozen into conservatism aft Kieran Trippier gave them the pb aft 5 minutes against Croatia successful Moscow, and they mislaid 2-1 aft other time.

Fast guardant to the delayed Euro 2020 final, held astatine Wembley successful July 2021 having been postponed due to the fact that of the Covid-19 pandemic.

England squandered different accidental successful akin circumstances to the 2018 World Cup - the Three Lions were erstwhile again gripped by inertia aft Luke Shaw scored successful the 2nd infinitesimal and they mislaid connected penalties to Italy.

This is the aforesaid Italy broadside who person not adjacent qualified for the past 3 World Cups. It was an accidental missed, particularly astatine England's Wembley home.

The World Cup quarter-final nonaccomplishment to France successful Qatar 4 years agone was simply a lawsuit of a bully broadside being beaten by a amended one, though the agony was compounded by a uncommon Harry Kane punishment miss precocious on.

The consequent tally to the Euro 2024 last was stodgy with the occasional highlight, but culminated successful a disappointing show successful the Berlin showpiece arsenic Spain bushed Southgate's broadside 2-1.

Tuchel said: "We present privation to compression the past spot out. We privation to instrumentality the adjacent step.

"I truly similar the vigor successful our camp. The players are precise excited, precise ambitious. That's precisely what we request for this game."

What makes a World Cup semi-final with Argentina antithetic from the meetings with West Germany successful 1990 and Croatia successful 2018 is the past of sporting antipathy and contention betwixt the 2 teams stretching backmost to 1966.

Their quarter-final astatine Wembley connected a sun-kissed Saturday day 60 years agone is champion remembered for the sending disconnected of Argentina's superb but temperamental skipper Antonio Rattin, which threatened to spark a walk-off by his team-mates.

Rattin, who died connected 11 July aged 89, was yet persuaded to permission but the rancour lasted agelong aft Geoff Hurst's precocious winner, with England brag Ramsey famously refusing to let his players to swap shirts with Argentina, aboriginal describing them arsenic "animals".

England and Argentina met successful different quarter-final successful Mexico City's Azteca Stadium astatine the 1986 World Cup, with the Falklands War 4 years earlier providing the backdrop.

It was the time of Diego Maradona's infamous "Hand Of God" - arsenic good arsenic his superb 2nd extremity - arsenic Argentina won 2-1, and past went connected to assistance the World Cup.

France '98 delivered a classical last-16 crippled champion remembered for a wound-up David Beckham being sent disconnected for kicking retired astatine Diego Simeone, and the solo extremity that brought an 18-year-old Michael Owen to planetary superstar status.

Argentina prevailed connected penalties to supply yet much World Cup heartache for the Three Lions.

There was inactive lingering ill-feeling betwixt the 2 teams erstwhile they met again 4 years aboriginal successful a World Cup radical crippled nether Sapporo's dome successful Japan.

This clip it was redemption for Beckham, who scored the victor with a first-half penalty, but Argentina complained agelong and large - insisting Owen had dived amid a situation from aboriginal Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Tuchel said: "It is simply a precise large rivalry betwixt 2 large footballing nations.

"I could accidental the past is irrelevant but I'm not sure. The players are alert of it. When a fixture provides truthful galore iconic moments, you can't accidental it is conscionable different shot match."

Argentina brag Lionel Scaloni - who represented his federation astatine the 2006 World Cup - added: "We each person stories from that past clip and past and it each makes it precise emotional."

It is this backdrop, this past of acrimony, that elevates this brushwood supra those different semi-finals.

England person had galore memorable games successful the past six decades - but winning this lucifer would outstrip them each and connection the accidental for a historical triumph in Sunday's World Cup last against Spain.

Could this World Cup beryllium the past creation for Argentina's genius Lionel Messi?

He yet managed to fulfil his imagination of winning the trophy astatine Qatar 2022, helping marque up for past symptom including the 2014 last decision by Germany successful Rio de Janeiro.

Messi mightiness present beryllium 39, but helium inactive has brilliance successful his boots and his brain, adjacent if overmuch of his enactment is done astatine walking gait these days.

He has walked 47% of the region helium has covered truthful acold astatine this World Cup, the highest percent of immoderate outfield subordinate astatine the tournament.

But Messi remains Argentina's inspiration and the tendency to triumph a 2nd World Cup burns fiercely, arsenic shown by his tears of alleviation and joyousness aft his broadside scored 3 goals successful the last 11 minutes to bushed Egypt successful the past 16, having been 2-0 down and facing a stunning exit.

He remains the subordinate England volition fearfulness - and the antheral who carries the hopes of his federation arsenic good arsenic his team-mates.

England brag Tuchel said: "Messi is conscionable incredible. There are nary words near for his benignant of achievement, with the prime and enactment helium shows.

"He's the person and the cardinal subordinate successful immoderate squad helium plays for and helium is successful this Argentina team."

England person past astatine their feet - and successful Jude Bellingham and Kane person 2 world-class players who person driven them to the past four.

Tuchel, meanwhile, is 1 of the world's astir respected coaches, who openly relishes the chopped and thrust of knockout shot - arsenic helium proved erstwhile winning the Champions League with Chelsea successful 2021.

His broadside person scored 13 goals astatine this World Cup, but 12 of those person travel from Bellingham and Kane. Marcus Rashford, with the last extremity successful the 4-2 opening triumph against Croatia, is the lone different subordinate connected the scoresheet truthful far.

That mightiness suggest England are relying excessively heavy connected Bellingham and Kane, but arsenic shows however their 2 cardinal players are successful the signifier of their lives.

If England person occasionally stuttered, truthful person Argentina, escaping from hard situations against Cape Verde, Egypt and Switzerland successful the knockout phase.

Like England, Argentina person lived connected the borderline - and Tuchel volition anticipation this is the time they neglect to escape.