ATLANTA (AP) — It’s England vs. Argentina. world cup Semi-finals. It’s also Lionel Messi vs. Jude Bellingham.
The battle between the two No. 10s could be crucial in deciding Wednesday’s game in Atlanta.
“We know the good messi England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has spoken about the Argentine great, who is still showing his timeless spark once again at the age of 39.
with messi bellingham They have provided inspiration for each team’s advancement to the final four. And Wednesday’s game may come down to who has the biggest say that day.
Messi will play for England for the first time in his illustrious career.
“He’s scored so many goals and contributed so many goals throughout his career, it’s great to finally play against him,” Pickford said.
GOAT controversy settled
Messi is already considered by many to be the greatest soccer player of all time, and he appears to be on a mission to settle the debate over his place in the history of the sport.
He is already the all-time leading scorer at the World Cup with 21 goals and could surpass Argentina icon Diego Maradona if he leads Argentina to a second successive world title.
His eight goals in the competition so far have been crucial to Argentina’s rise, with his moments of magic leading the team to tough games against Cape Verde and Egypt.
England manager Thomas Tuchel said of Messi: “The way he’s led the team this season, this tournament, it’s just incredible.” “There are no words for the kind of achievement, responsibility and quality he has shown once again in this tournament.”
When Argentina won the 2022 World Cup, Messi followed in Maradona’s footsteps and captained his country to the title. Maradona lifted the trophy in 1986, and four years later Argentina finished runners-up, losing to West Germany in the final.
Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister said: “It’s difficult to try to draw inspiration from what Diego did. Only Leo can do that.” “Diego is a national icon for us and I hope we can achieve something similar to what that team achieved.”
Questions about Bellingham
England have their own talismanic number 10 in Bellingham, who is at the opposite end of his career to Messi.
Real Madrid star Bellingham, 23, has already represented England in his second World Cup and fourth major tournament. He has scored six goals, including two in the last two matches against Mexico and Norway.
Not bad for a player who was left out by coach Tuchel ahead of the World Cup, and there was even debate as to whether he would even be included in England’s starting lineup.
There is no longer any doubt about the player Tuchel described as “world class” after scoring two goals in the quarter-final against Norway.
Bellingham’s fellow captain Harry Kane, who has scored six goals, spearheaded England’s progress to the semi-finals.
Tuchel said the duo performed “like crazy” at the World Cup.
But it was Bellingham who provided the biggest moments in the last two games.
“We all strongly believe that sport is a team sport and you don’t do it alone, but of course we also rely on world-class moments from world-class players,” Tuchel said.
key to victory
Both England and Argentina will need to find ways to limit the influence of each other’s big stars.
Coach Tuchel said he was considering man-marking Messi by having one player shadow him throughout the match.
“Everyone knows the spaces he wants to show. When you analyze the game, you feel like he sees things faster than everyone else on the field,” Tuchel said. “I think we found some patterns in their game. But if you close that pattern, he’ll probably find a new pattern and create a new pattern. That’s super strength. That’s what it is.”
If England’s focus is on Messi, Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni will have to contend with the dual threats of Bellingham and Kane.
“We are playing against two great players, two of the best in the world,” Scaloni said. “We’re going to do everything we can to neutralize them. We have the weapons, so we’re going to try to prevent them from having a good game.”
fierce rivalry
England vs. Argentina is a fierce rivalry that goes beyond football, with tensions that also relate to the 1982 match. Dispute over the Falkland Islands.
There were many clashes during the World Cup.
Argentina national team captain Antonio Rattin His death was announced on Saturday, but In 1966, he was sent off for a bad performance in the quarter-finals against eventual champions England.
maradona scored The infamous “Hand of God” goal England were similarly outraged in 1986, and in 1998 when David Beckham was sent off for a kick-out before losing on penalties to Diego Simeone.
Most recently, in 2002, England defeated Argentina in the group stage, with Beckham scoring from a penalty.
“When you have so many iconic moments in a game you can’t simply say it’s just a football match, but that’s exactly what we do as managers,” Tuchel said. “We don’t talk about historical events. We don’t talk about iconic moments.”
One of those iconic moments was Maradona’s second goal in a 2-1 quarter-final win against England in 1986, when he dribbled the ball in from the halfway line and scored.
“That will stay in our hearts forever. It was a really beautiful goal,” Scaloni said. “Anyone who loves football will remember it in the best way.
“It’s just a coincidence that it was against England, but it would have been an equally great game against any other opponent.”
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James Robson is https://x.com/James Saran Robson
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