Argentina forward José López declared that he and his teammates will “leave our lives on the field” in the historic World Cup semi-final against England. Argentina secured their place in the last four with a 3-1 victory over Switzerland, setting up a clash with England for the first time since 2005.
López’s crucial contribution
López, who had played a minor role in the tournament until coming off the bench, provided the assist for Julián Álvarez’s stunning extra-time goal. Lautaro Martínez sealed the win later, setting the stage for a highly charged encounter in Atlanta on Wednesday.
“Obviously inside and outside the four lines of the pitch it’s a matchup that has a lot of history there, a lot of pain and a lot of things behind it,” López said. “I think we are professionals and we’re going to play it like we play every game: until the last second, leaving our lives on the field.”
Scaloni focuses on the game
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni preferred to emphasize reaching another semi-final and the chance to retain the World Cup title his team won in 2022. “What this team has achieved is historic, even though we could have played better. It’s historic to be in a semi-final again,” he said. “It’s a privileged space in football, not an easy feat. We’re happy and excited now, and we will try to make it to the end with every last drop of sweat.”
Scaloni refused to amplify the rivalry before facing England. “The message is this is a football game,” he said. “That is what I can say. We will be playing against a very tough opponent, they have an excellent coach, it is a football game and that is all.”
Switzerland fight back but fall short
Switzerland had equalized through a Dan Ndoye goal, but Breel Embolo’s red card gave the reigning champions a crucial advantage. “It was very difficult for us to win the duels but ultimately we always find the solutions,” Scaloni admitted, acknowledging his side struggled against Switzerland’s physicality. “In the end we made it possible but it was a big lesson for us as we know what we will be facing.”
Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin was angered by the second yellow card given to Embolo for simulation after Leandro Paredes had initially been booked for fouling him. Under the “mistaken identity” rule, VAR allowed the card to be transferred to Embolo. “There was definitely no reason to award that yellow card [to Paredes], I don’t understand it,” Yakin said. “It was a harmless situation. I don’t understand why the decision was made and our player was sent off.”
“This rule destroyed our game today. I think it is extremely hurtful. We are not going to go to the semi-finals but I think we deserved to be there. To be eliminated that way hurts a lot but I can tell you we are very proud of our performance in this tournament.”
