Men’s World Cup Semifinal Live Blog: England vs. Argentina — Argentina take a late lead
Live Blog
90+1’ — PANDEMONIUM! Argentina strike again. After one player hits the post with a shot that had Pickford beat, Argentina pick up the pieces and whip in the cross again. It’s back post, it’s point blank, there was no way England’s luck was keeping up forever. Lautaro Martínez is the scorer.
Now they are in a hole with only seven minutes of stoppage to go.
86’ — GOOOOOAL! Argentina level! Well, this is what England get for stepping off the gas while on the front foot. Wave after wave of Argentina pressure finally results in a magical strike, following the corner from the Fernández deflection. It’s a Messi assist, after drawing attention from the short corner he centers it to a completely unmarked Fernández, who finally hits paydirt from range.
Well! It’s 1-1!
85’ — Enzo Fernández takes another crack from range. It’s over the bar but Pickford takes no chance and parries it away. He’s getting a workout, and shouting at his defense.
81’ — England holding on. We have an attempted bicycle kick in the box stopped by a towering defensive header. This game! Tuchel has his troops bunkering. Not sure that is wise, given Argentina have Messi Magic on their side.
76’ — PICKFORD AGAIN! Another Argentina cross tests the English keeper. Another reaction save from point-blank range….and within a minute, Pickford does it even again. Argentina is pushing hard for that equalizer. Pickford keeping England in it.
69’ — PICKFORD SAVES! A huge Argentina chance sees a point-blank header from Nico González parried away by the English keeper.
Here’s a look at that England goal — and the Harry Kane pass that set it up. Classic Harry Kane position and the threatening delivery created the chance.
58’ — Incredible intervention in the box by Djed Spence to take the ball away from Giuliano Simeone. Had to get the timing on that perfect, and he did.
55’ — GOOOOOOOOAL! England 1-0 Argentina! Absolutely scintillating! England break the deadlock and they break it wide, wide open. A gorgeous pass from Harry Kane deep in central midfield starts the sequence. Argentina’s awkward interception falls right to Declan Rice, who sweeps it first time to Morgan Rogers to whip in a delightful cross for Anthony Gordon to latch onto at the far post. No chance for Emiliano Martínez.
53’ — We now have six total shots in the game. Still chippy after the restart but a little less so.
Halftime: England 0-0 Argentina
The referee has been the busiest man so far, and xCards is racing ahead of xG for both teams. What is there to say? This is a barely concealed brawl, tensions that threaten to burst, and a game that is barely — but impressively — being kept under control. England look like the team with more interesting ideas and more threats on the field, but Argentina does not look like they’re about to let anybody get into any kind of rhythm.
38’ — Enzo Fernández has a crack at it from range and it is a real danger moment for England GK Jordan Pickford. It’s blazed over the bar but only just. Fernández seems to want a corner, but he’s not getting it.
37’ — That’s the first yellow card and it’s shown to England midfielder Elliott Anderson for charging in and taking out Lionel Messi in transition after a pair of teammates failed to contain the magician.
35’ — Djed Spence is an early candidate for English MVP. He’s wormed his way out of a number of jams with the ball at his feet and England have a second free kick in a dangerous area in as many minutes. That might be two shots now…but it’s come to nothing.
32’ — Still zero shots recorded by either team.
14’ — Djed Spence with a very slick move in tight space on the sideline to spring Anthony Gordon down the right wing. Gordon, however, takes about six or seven touches too many as he canters into the box and finds neither a shot nor a teammate in timely manner. The former Bayern target has looked a lot of “almost” at wing this tournament.
12’ — This game has been…messy.
Foul after foul after foul. One for the sickos, and not the good kind.
1’ — Kickoff! We are off and away.
Lineups out! Changes on both sides today:
Welcome to the Bavarian Football Works daily Men’s World Cup match thread! Every day during this tournament we will have a feature thread for discussion of the day’s matchups.
Now that France and Spain have settled business, it is time for Thomas Tuchel and England to square up against Lionel Messi’s Argentina. The greatest of all time saw his goal streak snapped in the last round but still made important contributions to Argentina’s win, while England have relied on Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham to make the difference this tournament. Both teams have clear areas to improve, and the pressure is only getting higher.
- England – Argentina (3:00 PM EDT)
Latest results:
- France 0-2 Spain
Predictions
England 3-2 Argentina a.e.t
Argentina have simply looked too vulnerable all through the knockouts, requiring late wins each time against competition that frankly they should have taken care of. The same argument could be made for England, but they had on paper the tougher fights anyway, and have more game changers to call upon when the going gets tough. The margins will be fine, and expect every referee decision and VAR intervention to be under the microscope.
Reading and listening
- ✍️ BBC: ‘Hotter and hotter and hotter’ – Europe’s new climate in seven charts
- ✍️ n+1: World Cupcophony
- ✍️ The Guardian: Love and hate collide: England v Argentina is not simply a grudge match
- ✍️ Outside Write: Animals and Pirates: A Brief History of Argentina versus England
Odds and Ends
Question for U.S-based Bundesliga fans today:
How to Watch
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