England vs. Argentina to advance to the World Cup finals.
Will the soccer game get even bigger?
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A tangled and bloody history spanning nearly two centuries, and a fierce and bitter on-field rivalry built over more than 60 years, punctuated by drama, controversy, and sprinkles of magic.
The magnitude of Wednesday’s matchup in Atlanta cannot be overstated. This will be the first match between the two permanent powerhouses in 21 years.
Lionel Messi, 18, was suspended for the 2005 friendly in Geneva, which England came from 2-1 down to win 3-2 in the closing stages. This time, all eyes will be on the World Cup’s record scorer as he tries to lead the defending champions to the final.
The roots of soccer between the two countries are deep. The first recorded match in Argentina was played by British railway workers in 1867, and famous old clubs such as Newell’s Old Boys and Rosario Central were founded by foreigners, and the names of River Plate and Boca Juniors were influenced by this language.
Argentina were the second country after Scotland to play a full international against England at Wembley Stadium, with the hosts winning 2-1 in 1951. But the passionate early rivalry has been passed down through the generations, with the current crop of Argentina fans still singing about England in the stands throughout this World Cup.
But where did it all start? Let’s recall the greatest moments in the history of their rivalry.
1966 – England 1-0 Argentina
Their first World Cup meeting actually wasn’t in 1966.
It was against Chile four years ago, and it was crucial that England won 3-1 in the group stage in Rancagua, holding off Argentina on goal difference and securing a place in the quarter-finals. However, the Three Lions lost 3-1 to eventual champions Brazil in the last eight.
While that encounter ended without undue controversy, the same cannot be said about their encounter four years later.
The quarter-final match at Wembley was dubbed “El Lobo del Siglo” (The Robbery of the Century) in Argentina, with England winning 1-0 after more than half of the match was lax and rough against 10 men, leading South American conspiracy theorists to claim the tournament was rigged on their side.
With Argentina’s slow pace disrupting England’s flow, German referee Rudolf Kreitlein was kept busy with a series of fouls, but things came to a head just before the half-hour mark.
Argentina captain Antonio Rattin was booked for bringing down opposing number Bobby Charlton and then received a counter-book for protesting less than three minutes after his team-mates were booked for not retreating 10 yards during a free-kick on the edge of the box.
The Argentine side claimed that things were lost during translation, and Rattin reportedly refused to leave the field and asked for an interpreter. This caused an eight-minute delay and led to a summit meeting on the touchline that included FIFA referee liaison, England’s Ken Aston. He later pioneered the idea of handing out yellow and red cards rather than verbal warnings during the 1970 final.
Ms Lattin further upset the domestic audience by crumpling a corner flag as she was escorted away by police and leaving with a British flag, before sitting on Queen Elizabeth’s red carpet.
Lattin’s death at the age of 89 was announced on Saturday, hours before Argentina’s quarter-final victory over Switzerland, with players wearing black armbands.
England were far from innocent in this regard, committing 30 fouls during the match. Geoff Hurst’s lunge at right-back Roberto Ferreiro was not booked, but Hurst headed home the only goal of the game from Martin Peters’ cross, leaving the Argentines convinced that Hurst was offside.
After the full-time whistle, Ferreiro confronted the referee, who required a police escort from the field. The player was given a three-match ban for tearing a referee’s shirt, while Hermindo Onega received an additional ban for spitting at FIFA vice-president Harry Caban.
England manager Alf Ramsey ran onto the pitch to prevent his players from changing their uniforms at the end of the match, which is customary, and branded the Argentine players “animals” in the post-match press conference.
1986 – England 1-2 Argentina
The two countries played friendly draws in 1974 and 1977, but another friendly in 1980 saw England win 3–1 at Wembley, and Diego Maradona played against England for the first time.
The second time was in the quarter-finals of 1986, at the Aztec Cauldron in Mexico City, four years after tensions between the nations escalated over the dispute over the Falkland Islands (called “Las Malvinas” by Argentines). Their soldiers invaded British Overseas Territories in the South Atlantic and began a 74-day battle before surrendering, with over 900 lives lost on both sides.
The Argentina international sought revenge on the pitch in Mexico City and achieved it in symbolic and controversial fashion.
Six minutes into the second half, with the game still scoreless, Maradona ran into the box and attempted a looping ball high in the air, which swung off onrushing keeper Peter Shilton and into the net.
Despite protests from the England players, the goal was conceded, and Maradona later attributed it to the “hand of God”.
Four minutes after the opening goal, Maradona won the ball in his own half and began an incredible run through the English defense, resulting in what would become known as the ‘goal of the century’. He made 11 touches in 11 seconds, beating five men before deceiving Shilton and firing a diagonal shot from the right of the box.
England pulled one back in the final stages with Gary Lineker scoring his sixth goal of the tournament, but Argentina prevailed despite the grandstand finish and won their second World Cup title.
1998 – England 2-2 Argentina (Argentina won 4-3 at Pens)
In 1991, Argentina visited England for the first time in 11 years, and from 0-2 down at Wembley, they came back late to draw a friendly.
Their next match took place in Saint-Etienne during the round of 16 of the 1998 World Cup in France. And it was pulsating.
Argentina took the lead after just seven minutes through Gabriel Batistuta’s penalty, but teenager Michael Owen won a spot-kick four minutes later before Alan Shearer equalized.
Owen then burst on from half-time and turned the game around with a wonderful solo goal in the 17th minute, only for Javier Zanetti to make it 2-2 just before half-time with a deft free-kick.
England’s David Beckham was bundled in midfield by Diego Simeone and the match changed immediately after the restart. The Argentine tapped Beckham on the back of the head as he lay face down on the pitch, and the then-Manchester United player retaliated with a hard kick to Simeone’s calf. Beckham stumbled to the ground and was given a red card by Danish referee Kim Milton Nielsen, after which Beckham was vilified in the British media.
England continued to play with 10 men and looked like they had won through Sol Campbell’s header in the dying minutes, but Shearer fouled keeper Carlos Roa during the build-up and the goal was canceled out. Argentina won 4-3 on penalties, with Roa getting the better of La Albiceleste thanks to saves from Paul Ince and David Batty.
2002 – Argentina 0-1 England
After a scoreless friendly at Wembley in 2000, England and Beckham were given a chance for revenge for the first time at the 2002 World Cup.
The group stage clash in Sapporo, Japan was crucial as England had drawn their opening game against Sweden and needed a win to boost their hopes of qualifying.
Just before the break, Owen was brought down by Mauricio Pochettino in the box and Beckham was determined to fire the follow-up spot-kick into the middle.
Simeone and Beckham played the full 90 minutes, even shaking hands midway through the game, but England’s defense withstood the pressure in the closing stages to reach the finals, while Argentina were eliminated in the group stage for the first and only time since it all started in 1962.
