Scaloni insists England semifinal is ‘just another game’ following late Swiss showdown

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has played down the English threat at the 2026 World Cup semifinal in Atlanta by insisting that it is ‘just a football game’. Argentina made it to the last four after beating Switzerland 3-1 in their quarterfinal match on Sunday (Jul 11). Midfielder Alexis Mac Allister put the defending champions ahead with a header in the 10th minute, only for Dan Ndoye to equalise in the second half. The Kansas City Stadium erupted in joy after Julian Alvarez curled in a breathtaking golazo in the 112th minute as striker Lautaro Martínez added a cherry on the cake with a late goal to seal the win.

Earlier, disaster struck for Switzerland in the second half, when Breel Embolo was shown a second yellow card for simulation, reducing them to 10 men.

Argentina will now turn their attention to England in the semifinal, which promises to be a pulsating encounter.

However, despite the rich history between the two countries that extends beyond football, Scaloni decided to set all that aside and see this mouth-watering clash as just another game for Argentina.

"Look, this is a football game," he said. "OK, so the message is this is a football game. That's what I can say.

"It is a football game, and we will be playing against a very tough opponent. They have an excellent coach, and this is a football game, and that's all."

This match against England comes 40 years after their famous quarterfinal at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, when Argentina secured a 2-1 win over the Three Lions. Diego Maradona scored a brace, including the infamous ‘Hand of God’ and another dazzling solo effort, considered one of the best.

Watch FIFA World Cup 2026 live on Zee5 Photograph: (WION)

Speaking ahead of the crucial semifinal, Scaloni said Argentina would have to improve after another tough test following gruelling 3-2 wins over Cape Verde and Egypt.

"We won because of our ambition -- we didn't want it to go to penalties," he said. "It was more about the desire to win than the quality of play."

"We are in the semifinals, a privileged position in football that we might take for granted, but it's not that easy.

"We have every reason to be happy, satisfied, and excited.

"Now we're going for everything we can, right to the end, with every last ounce of strength and every last drop of sweat.

"If we pull it off, great. If not, we're going to give it our all. Let there be no doubt about that," he added.