Not since the famous World Cup final of 1966 at Wembley Stadium have England played a bigger match. England have reached the World Cup semi-finals two times in the last six decades since that famous day in 1966. In the last two European Championship finals, England have finished as finalists, but not lifted the trophy. So is this the year the Three Lions reach the promised land and get their hands on a trophy?
Decades of Controversy Against Argentina
This is a massive match as it is to get through to the World Cup final, but the fact it is England vs Argentina makes it even bigger. The controversial history of this fixture stretches back to 1966. The quarter-final at Wembley is where Argentina captain Antonio Rattin was sent off, and the Argentina team almost walked off the pitch in disgust. The England manager at the time, Ramsey, described Argentina as “animals”.
There was, of course, the famous “Hand of God” by Maradona in Mexico in 1986. Then there was the 1998 World Cup last 16 match in France, where David Beckham was sent off for kicking out at Diego Simeone, and Argentina won on penalties. With all this history between these two countries, this semi-final is set to be a game that can define England.
