Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Perfil

SPORTS | Today 09:06

Argentina v England: A look back at previous World Cup clashes

Argentina and England will meet in Atlanta on Wednesday for a place in the 2026 World Cup final, renewing one of football's fiercest and most enduring rivalries.

 

1962 – First-round match, Rancagua, Chile

England claimed a comfortable 3-1 victory in a match that lacked the controversy that would come to define later meetings between the two nations.

The Three Lions went on to reach the quarter-finals, where they were beaten 3-1 by Brazil, while Argentina exited the tournament in the group stage.

 

1966 – Quarter-final, Wembley, England

A bruising encounter marked by a series of heavy Argentine challenges saw captain Antonio Rattín sent off for dissent. The midfielder famously took almost 10 minutes to leave the pitch.

Argentina defended in numbers and frustrated the hosts before Geoff Hurst scored the only goal of the game to secure a 1-0 victory.

England manager Alf Ramsey was so angered by Argentina's approach that he branded the visitors "animals" and forbade his players from swapping shirts with their opponents.

Led by Gordon Banks, Bobby Moore and Bobby Charlton, England went on to lift their first and only World Cup title.

 

1986 – Quarter-final, Estadio Azteca, Mexico City

The match at the Estadio Azteca is remembered for Diego Maradona's infamous 'Hand of God' goal, but also for what is widely regarded as the greatest goal in World Cup history.

For the opener, Maradona punched the ball over England goalkeeper Peter Shilton to give Argentina a 1-0 lead in an incident that remains deeply contentious.

There was no dispute over his second goal. Collecting the ball near the halfway line, Maradona dribbled past five England players before rounding Shilton and finishing brilliantly in what became known as the 'Goal of the Century.’

Gary Lineker pulled one back, but Argentina held on for a 2-1 victory before going on to win the tournament.

The match has since taken on enormous symbolic significance in Argentina, coming just four years after the country's defeat in the 1982 South Atlantic War over the Malvinas (Falkland) Islands.

 

1998 – Round of 16, Saint-Étienne, France

Perhaps the most dramatic of all the meetings between England and Argentina, the match featured Michael Owen's stunning solo goal and David Beckham's red card for kicking Diego Simeone.

Simeone later admitted he had done everything possible to provoke the England midfielder.

Despite playing almost the entire second half with 10 men, England held firm and thought they had won the match late on, only for Sol Campbell's header to be disallowed.

After a 2-2 draw following extra time, the tie was decided on penalties. Goalkeeper Carlos Roa saved David Batty's spot-kick to send the Albiceleste into the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated 2-1 by the Netherlands.

 

2002 – Group-stage match, Sapporo, Japan

Beckham gained a measure of revenge for his dismissal four years earlier by converting a 44th-minute penalty to give England a tense 1-0 victory.

The defeat compounded the problems of an Argentina side featuring Simeone, Juan Sebastián Verón and Gabriel Batistuta under coach Marcelo Bielsa.

Having cruised through South American qualifying, the Albiceleste arrived in Japan and South Korea as one of the favourites to lift the trophy.

Instead, they drew with Sweden in their final group match and suffered a shock first-round exit, their worst World Cup performance since Chile 1962.

England's campaign ended in the quarter-finals with a 2-1 defeat to eventual champions Brazil.

related news

Comments

More in (in spanish)