Shot Football

Scaloni urges Argentina to combine fight and football against England

ReutersReuters16 Jul 2026, 05:23
Scaloni urges Argentina to combine fight and football against England

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni says his team must show their trademark determination but also play their best football in the World Cup semi-final against England, led by stars Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham. He believes Argentina’s experience in big games will help them stay calm and focused.

Coach Lionel Scaloni said Argentina needed ​to play some football as well as show the grit and determination that has become ‌their trademark in Wednesday's World Cup semi-final against England.

Despite Lionel Messi's eight goals, the world champions have not enjoyed a smooth ride to the last four and really had to scrap to get past Cape Verde, Egypt and Switzerland in their knockout matches.

That reassured Scaloni ​that he could take the fight in his team for granted, but he said they would need ​to show other qualities against an England team featuring in-form attackers Harry Kane and ⁠Jude Bellingham.

"They're two great players, among the best in the world. They're players any coach would like to ​have," he told reporters at Atlanta Stadium on Tuesday.

"We'll try to neutralise them with our own weapons and keep ​them from having a good game. We have our game plan and we hope to carry it out tomorrow.

"Desire and ambition we have in abundance. We need to play football, to play with the ball, which is where we've always been strongest," he ​added.

"What we need is for the players, especially the ones who have led us to play great football, ​to be seen tomorrow."

The Albiceleste have reached the semis at two World Cups and three Copa Americas since Scaloni ‌took over ⁠as coach in 2018 and he thought his squad would be better on Wednesday for having been there and done that.

"We have a little bit of experience playing these kind of games," he said. "It doesn't give you a real advantage, but perhaps it brings you into the game with a bit more calm and that's something ​that we've earned.

"We're joyful, pleased, ​anxious, excited, and we ⁠want to celebrate with our people," he added. "We want to give them the joy of seeing their national team play their hearts out.

"Obviously, our opponent is a great ​team as well. Nothing will be easy. Nothing will be given, and we'll try ​to get ⁠to the final. And we're going to try to enjoy the game."

Scaloni said all his squad were available for a match redolent with political overtones because of the 1982 war between Britain and Argentina in the South Atlantic.

"The truth is, this ⁠is ​a football match," Scaloni said. "I can't mix things, especially out of respect ​for what happened so many years ago.

"That was a very sad period in our history. And there isn't much we can do about ​that — that's the truth — and this is a football match, nothing more."