Argentina doesn’t need “help” from FIFA.
Argentina is the defending World Cup champion and has won three titles overall. Lionel Messi, arguably the best soccer player of all time, is playing in his sixth World Cup for his country.
Yet it somehow seemed like so much was working against the Argentines in this year’s World Cup.
They narrowly escaped with victories in three consecutive knockout games to make it to the semifinal against England on Wednesday. They’ve been the target of ridicule from conspiratorial World Cup fans who allege FIFA malfeasance in helping them advance.
Soon, those critics may be forced to accept that the Argentines are just too good and too gritty to be denied.
“This ‘help’ is something that is going to be said forever,” Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said via interpreter after his team’s 2-1, comeback victory at Atlanta Stadium. “We know that is not the case. Talking about the game itself, I think this team plays the best when facing difficult situations, with adversity.”
“We had a challenging game, a challenging situation. There was blood in the water and we went for it.”
Argentina advanced to meet Spain in the final on Sunday with two late goals, including Lautaro Martinez’s stoppage-time winner. La Albiceleste has been winning matches like that for weeks.
In the round of 32, Argentina beat heavy underdog Cape Verde with an own goal in extra time. Argentina trailed Egypt by a two-goal deficit in the next round before Enzo Fernandez’s goal in stoppage time completed the comeback. Argentina scored the go-ahead goal against Switzerland in the 112th minute of the quarterfinal.
Argentina had to dig deep again against England. The Three Lions were denied their first berth in the final since winning their only World Cup in 1966.
“We tried to eliminate the world champions,” England coach Thomas Tuchel said. “We tried to eliminate an experienced group of players in tournament football. I think they play best when they play from behind and take a lot of risks. You see the quality.”
England controlled the game from the opening kick until taking the lead on Anthony Gordon’s goal in the 55th minute. The Argentines couldn’t develop an effective attack as England consistently pressured the ball. The Three Lions dominated possession and relentlessly pushed forward looking for openings.
The aggressive approach paid off with Gordon’s goal. Now, the Argentines had no choice but to play with more aggression. England helped their cause by taking a conservative, defensive posture.
That includes Tuchel, who sent in three defenders as substitutes after Gordon’s goal. He’ll no doubt face scorn from English fans. Many of them weren’t alive when The Three Lions won their only World Cup title on home soil.
“No one knows what would have happened if I had made different decisions,” Tuchel said. “There is no point in engaging that and losing my head. I am responsible, so I take the criticism.”
After Gordon’s goal, England sat back while Argentina sent wave after wave of attacks over the next 30 minutes. The Three Lions were content to clear the ball and drop back again to absorb the pressure. They survived two shots off the goalpost and two close-range saves by Jordan Pickford before Argentina finally broke through with Fernandez’s goal.
He found room 25 yards away from goal and curled a shot into the bottom left corner. The goal relieved the pressure on Argentina and its fans. Then Messi collected a rebound and sent in a perfectly placed cross to Martinez, who sent a header into the goal in the second minute of stoppage time.
The Argentines are headed to New York-New Jersey Stadium to face Spain.
“It’s a special match in a special place,” Martinez said via a FIFA interpreter. “There is going to be a lot of energy there. This is a place where dreams can come true. If you work hard, if you are always tirelessly seeking improvement, that’s what you can do.”
Argentina will try to add the 2026 cup to a trophy collection that includes world titles in 1978, 1986 and 2022. Meanwhile, England is left to deal with another bitter loss in the World Cup.
This was their third loss in the semifinal since winning it all in 1966. They squandered leads in two of those games and lost on penalties in the other.
England defender Dan Burn was asked what it will take for England to finally win another World Cup.
“I wish I had the answer,” he said. “I was proud of what we did in this tournament. I thought we were going to do it. But it’s really thin margins.
“Argentina has been there and done that, and I think it showed today.”
It’s not a FIFA conspiracy. It’s an Argentina team that is too good and too gritty to be denied.
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