Argentina's coaching staff carries painful memories of past World Cup defeats to England as the two nations prepare to meet in the semi-final on Wednesday night in Atlanta. The winner will face Spain in the final.
History of rivalry
England and Argentina have a storied history in the World Cup, dating back to 1962 in Chile. England won that match and again in 1966, but Argentina claimed victory in the infamous 'Hand of God' match in 1986 and the dramatic last-16 encounter in 1998. The teams also met in 2002, with England winning 1-0 to eliminate Argentina in the group stage.
Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has three assistants who were part of that 2002 defeat: Walter Samuel, Pablo Aimar, and Roberto Ayala. Samuel started at centre-back, Aimar came off the bench, and Ayala was injured but did not feature. Ayala, however, played in the 1998 match and scored in the penalty shootout. All three now serve as Scaloni's assistants and are motivated by the 1-0 loss decided by a David Beckham penalty 24 years ago.
Recent encounters
Samuel and Ayala also played in the last meeting between the two countries, a 3-2 friendly win for England in Switzerland in 2005. Scaloni, who earned seven caps for Argentina between 2003 and 2006, has downplayed talk of revenge. 'It's just a football match; let's not make it something else,' Scaloni said. 'We're playing a great team, led by a great coach who I appreciate and admire a lot. It's just a football match, nothing else.'
However, Diego Maradona Jr. disagrees, insisting the match carries extra weight. 'My dad wouldn't see it as a normal game, just another game,' Maradona Jr. told Marca. 'For all Argentines and Maradona fans, it will be a special occasion. It's one that brings to mind everything about the Falklands and all our brothers who died there, and then what happened to my dad in '86.' He added, 'My old man won a historic match, and since then, nothing has been normal against England.'
Political backdrop
The match also comes amid political tensions, with Argentina's Vice President calling the English 'usurping pirates' in an inflammatory social media post. Scaloni has chosen not to engage with such rhetoric, focusing solely on the football.
