England Face Argentina in World Cup Semi-Final
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- England face Argentina in Wednesday's World Cup semi-final (20:00 BST) at Atlanta Stadium — their first chance to reach a men's World Cup final since Sir Alf Ramsey's side lifted the Jules Rimet trophy in 1966
- The rivalry runs from Antonio Rattin's 1966 quarter-final sending-off (he died 11 July aged 89), through Maradona's 1986 "Hand of God" and David Beckham's 1998 red card for kicking Diego Simeone, to a 2002 group-stage penalty won after a Mauricio Pochettino challenge on Michael Owen
- Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane have scored 12 of England's 13 World Cup goals, with Marcus Rashford's strike against Croatia in the opener the only other player on the scoresheet
- Lionel Messi, 39, has walked 47% of the distance he has covered at this World Cup — the highest percentage of any outfield player at the tournament — yet remains Argentina's inspiration after his side scored three goals in the final 11 minutes to beat Egypt in the last 16
- Thomas Tuchel, who won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, said his players are "very excited, very ambitious" and want to "squeeze the last bit out," adding that the Argentina rivalry provides "iconic moments" beyond a normal football match
- Argentina have "lived on the edge" in the knockout phase, escaping difficult situations against Cape Verde, Egypt and Switzerland — and Tuchel said he hopes this is the match they finally fail to escape
Why it matters: A win sends England to a first World Cup final in 60 years, against Spain on Sunday, with Tuchel's side leaning almost entirely on Bellingham and Kane (12 of 13 goals) against a Messi-led Argentina whose every knockout win so far has come the hard way.
