England against Argentina for a place in the World Cup Final.
Do football matches get any bigger?
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Nearly two centuries of tangled and bloody history and a fierce and bitter on-field rivalry forged over six decades and punctuated by drama, controversy and a sprinkling of magic.
It’s hard to overstate the magnitude of Wednesday’s encounter in Atlanta, which will be the first of any kind between the perennial powerhouses in 21 years.
An 18-year-old Lionel Messi was suspended for the previous meeting, a friendly in Geneva in 2005, when England came from 2-1 down to win 3-2 late on. This time all eyes will be on the World Cup’s record scorer as he seeks to lead the defending champions back to the final.
The footballing roots between the nations run deep. The first recorded match in Argentina was contested by British railway workers in 1867, and famous old clubs such as Newell’s Old Boys and Rosario Central were founded by expatriates, while the names of River Plate and Boca Juniors were influenced by the language.
Argentina was the second country after Scotland to face England in a full international at Wembley Stadium, the hosts winning 2-1 in 1951. But the early bonhomie gave way to a bitter rivalry which has been passed on through generations, with the current crop of Argentina fans still singing about England in the stands throughout this World Cup.
But where did it all begin? Let’s take a trip down memory lane for the greatest moments in the history of their rivalry:
1966 – England 1-0 Argentina
Their first World Cup meeting did not actually come in 1966.
That came four years earlier in Chile, where England’s 3-1 win in the group stage in Rancagua proved pivotal as it ensured they progressed to the quarterfinal at the expense of Argentina on goal difference. The Three Lions however went on to lose 3-1 to eventual winners Brazil in the last eight.
While that encounter passed off without undue controversy, the same cannot be said of their meeting four years later.
Their quarterfinal clash at Wembley was dubbed El Robo Del Siglo (The Robbery of the Century) in Argentina as England prevailed 1-0 after playing over half an ill-tempered and niggly match against 10 -men, which had South American conspiracy theorists claiming the tournament had been rigged against their sides.
German referee Rudolf Kreitlein was kept busy by a stream of fouls as Argentina’s slow pace disrupted England’s flow before things came to a head just before the half-hour.
Argentina captain Antonio Rattin was cautioned for bringing down opposite number Bobby Charlton and was then cautioned for dissent less than three minutes later for complaining after a teammate was cautioned for not retreating 10 yards for another free-kick on the edge of the box.
The Argentines claim things were lost in translation and Rattin refused to leave the field, reportedly asking for an interpreter. That led to an eight-minute delay and a summit on the touchline, including FIFA referee liaison Ken Aston from England, who subsequently pioneered the idea of yellow and red cards for the 1970 finals, rather than issuing verbal cautions.
Rattin had to be led away by police officers and then, adorned with the flag of the United Kingdom, crumpled the corner flag on his way off before sitting on the red carpet intended for Queen Elizabeth, acts which upset the home crowd further.
Rattin’s passing at the age of 89 was announced on Saturday, just hours before Argentina’s quarterfinal win over Switzerland when the players wore black armbands.
England were by no means innocent in all this as they committed 30 fouls during the match. While Geoff Hurst’s lunge on right-back Roberto Ferreiro did not yield a caution, Hurst went on to head the only goal of the game from a Martin Peters cross, with the Argentines convinced he was offside.
After the full-time whistle Ferreiro confronted the referee, who needed a police escort from the field. He was handed a three-game ban after ripping the official’s shirt, while Ermindo Onega received another for spitting at FIFA Vice President Harry Cavan.
England manager Alf Ramsay ran onto the pitch to prevent his players swapping shirts at the end of the game, as was tradition, and in a media conference after the match branded the Argentines ‘animals.’
1986 – England 1-2 Argentina
The nations played spicy friendly draws in 1974 and 1977, before a 3-1 win for England at Wembley in another friendly in 1980, which saw Diego Maradona face England for the first time.
The second came in the 1986 quarterfinal, played in the cauldron of the Azteca in Mexico City, four years after tensions between the nations heightened due to the conflict over the Falkland Islands, or ‘Las Malvinas’ as Argentines call them. Their soldiers invaded the British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic to commence 74 days of hostilities before surrendering, with more than 900 lives lost on both sides.
Argentina sought revenge on the pitch in Mexico City and they got it in iconic and controversial fashion.
Six minutes into the second half and with the game goalless, Maradona ran into the box to challenge for a ball looping high into the air and he fisted the ball past onrushing keeper Peter Shilton and into the net.
Despite protests from the England players, the goal was allowed to stand and Maradona later attributed it to ‘The Hand of God.’
Four minutes after the opening goal came what would go on to be known as the ‘Goal of the Century’, as Maradona picked up possession in his own half and embarked on a mazy run through the England defence. He took 11 touches in 11 seconds and beat five men before deceiving Shilton and firing home an angled finish from the right of the box.
Gary Lineker pulled one back for England in the closing stages with his sixth goal of the tournament but, despite a grandstand finish, Argentina went through and went on to lift their second World Cup.
1998 – England 2-2 Argentina (Argentina win 4-3 on pens)
In 1991, Argentina visited England for the first time in 11 years and came from 2-0 down late on to draw a friendly at Wembley.
Their next competitive meeting came in St Etienne during the Round of 16 of the 1998 World Cup in France and boy, was it pulsating.
Gabriel Batistuta put Argentina ahead from the penalty spot after just seven minutes but teenager Michael Owen won a spot-kick four minutes later from which Alan Shearer equalised.
Owen then blazed away from halfway to turn the game on its head with a fine solo goal on 17 minutes, though Javier Zanetti made it 2-2 on the stroke of half-time after a clever free kick.
The game changed just moments after the restart as England’s David Beckham was bundled over by Diego Simeone in midfield. The Argentine tapped Beckham on the back of the head as he lay face down on the pitch and the then-Manchester United man flicked a petulant kick at Simeone’s calf in retaliation. He stumbled to the ground and earned Beckham a red card from Danish referee Kim Milton-Nielsen, with the England man vilified in the British media afterwards.
England battled on with 10 -men and thought they’d won it in the dying moments through Sol Campbell’s header but it was ruled out for a foul on keeper Carlos Roa by Shearer in the build-up. Argentina went on to win 4-3 on penalties with Roa saving from Paul Ince and David Batty to send La Albiceleste through.
2002 – Argentina 0-1 England
A goalless friendly at Wembley followed in 2000 before England and Beckham were given the chance for revenge at the first possible opportunity at the 2002 World Cup.
The group stage meeting in Sapporo, Japan, was vital as England had drawn their opening game with Sweden and needed a win to boost their qualification hopes.
Moments before the break Owen was brought down in the box by Mauricio Pochettino and Beckham held his nerve to slam the subsequent spot-kick down the middle.
Simeone and Beckham lasted the full 90 minutes this time, and even shook hands in the midst of the game, but England’s defence held strong through some late pressure and progressed to the knockout stages, while Argentina exited at the group stage for the first and only time since 1962, where it all began.