IRONICLY, England were 1-0 up but Argentina eventually won 2-1 and qualified for the 2026 World Cup final. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni pointed out the reason that England could not beat Argentina in the semi-final duel at the Atlanta Stadium, United States, Thursday, July 16, 2026 early morning WIB.
Argentina was under pressure and could not show their best performance when facing England. Even England had locked up La Albiceleste in the early minutes of the second half.
At the peak, winger Anthony Gordon managed to break through the Argentine goal through a set-up built by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. After taking a 1-0 lead, manager Thomas Tuchel actually changed England's game strategy by defending more.
Not only that, Tuchel even pulled Gordon just to strengthen the back line and England played negatively. A very rare thing for The Three Lions to do.
On the other hand, Argentina played more openly and changed to imprison England. Moreover, coach Lionel Scaloni then pulled Rodrigo and Gonzalo Montiel by inserting players with an attacking character like Giuliano Simeone.
However, Argentina had to wait until the 85th minute to equalize the score when Enzo Fernandez's shot from outside the penalty area failed to be saved by Pickford. Furthermore, striker Lautaro Martinez, who was also a substitute, decided Argentina's victory after his header in injury time changed the score to 2-1.
"There are no words to say. The people in Argentina are definitely celebrating. They feel an incredible joy. I've said that this team always surprises me. And, I really say that we really want to win," said Scaloni as quoted by the FIFA website.
"It's hard to explain what the players have shown. They were really amazing. We are unique but not arrogant. They are the ones who brought us to win the game. They are special and try to do everything to keep fighting. I feel very happy and really emotional with this victory," he said.
Even though they won, Scaloni admitted that his team had difficulty facing England. In fact, he admitted that Argentina would be eliminated after falling behind 1-0.
However, Scaloni also did not expect that England looked less confident against his team. This is what Scaloni considers to be the weakness of Harry Kane et al.
"We were under pressure, but the opposing team was also unsure of itself," Scaloni said of England's weaknesses.
"We also smelled blood and then chased it. We all felt it," said the coach, who felt confident of winning after England chose to defend when they were ahead.
"I saw there was a gap in the goal (England). Especially after two shots hit the crossbar. After England scored, we showed how our real style of football is. This is more about tactics and playing beautifully," Scaloni said again.
Argentina stepped into the final with the hope of retaining the champion trophy. Yes, Argentina is the defending champion and also the champion of the 2024 Copa America.
They face 2024 European champions Spain. It's an ideal final as it brings together the two champions from each continent.
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