Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has dismissed criticism over his team’s World Cup performance, saying they deserve to reach the semi-finals. Their entire focus is on defeating England and making it to another final.
Atlanta (Georgia) [यूएस]July 15 (ANI): Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has rejected criticism of his team’s performance at the FIFA World Cup 2026. As per the ESPN report, he insisted that the defending champions have booked their place in the semi-finals and their focus is on beating England and reaching another final.
Argentina will face England in a big semi-final clash in Atlanta on Wednesday (local time). The winner of this match will face Spain in the World Cup final to be held at the New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19.
Scaloni’s response to criticism
Speaking before the match, Scaloni defended his team over questions raised over Argentina’s performance despite an excellent record of six wins in six consecutive matches. According to ESPN, Scaloni said, “The team is not playing as bad as people are saying. We must have done something right to get to this point.”
The World Cup-winning coach praised his players for maintaining Argentina’s remarkable run of success over the past few years. “I’m grateful to the players. They have taken us to three titles and now another semi-final. We are just one step away, and we will give everything to get there,” he said.
Argentina’s journey to the semi-finals
Argentina topped Group J with wins over Algeria, Austria and Jordan, before defeating Cape Verde, Egypt and Switzerland in the knockout rounds. Although the defending champions needed extra time to defeat both Cape Verde and Switzerland, they also made a spectacular comeback from 2–0 down against Egypt in the Round of 16.
Results are more important, not the way of playing
Scaloni admitted that at this stage of the competition, playing style comes second, and results take priority. “Honestly, I don’t think too much about the fact that we’re playing exactly the way I wanted to,” Scaloni said, according to ESPN. He further added, “Because a month and a half ago, I would have grabbed the chance to reach the World Cup semi-finals anyhow.”
“It doesn’t matter to me. So, it doesn’t matter what condition we are in. I have no complaints. Whether we are tired or not, it doesn’t matter. We are in the World Cup semi-finals. Now, I am incredibly excited; we are all happy. We see where we are, and we are ready to play the match,” he said.
Argentina’s great record
Wednesday’s match will mark Argentina’s fourth consecutive World Cup semi-final appearance. Earlier, the team had reached the last four in victorious campaigns in 2014, 2018 and Qatar 2022. Scaloni’s team also won consecutive Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024.
What did Scaloni say on the historical rivalry?
The match reignites one of football’s greatest rivalries, but Scaloni insists that political history, including the 1982 Falklands War, has no place in this sporting clash.
Scaloni said, “The truth is that it is a football match. I can’t mix things up, especially with respect to what happened so many years ago.” He added, “It was a very sad period in our history, and there’s not much we can do about it, that’s the truth.”
He concluded, “It’s a football match. There’s no denying that. There are things happening elsewhere in the world, and we criticize the existence of war, so for me to say it’s anything more than a football match… that seems crazy to me. We certainly miss those guys, of course. But it’s a football match; we shouldn’t get the two mixed up.”
trip to england
Meanwhile, England have reached the semi-finals after defeating Norway 2-1 in extra time in the quarter-finals. Thomas Tuchel’s side are looking for their first World Cup final since their 1966 victory, while Argentina will look to extend their 12-match World Cup winning streak and move one step closer to successfully defending their title. (ANI)
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