Argentina forward José López said he and his teammates will “leave our lives on the field” in what will be a historic World Cup semi-final against England. Argentina booked their place in the last four with a 3-1 win over Switzerland and it means one of football’s most glamorous, highly charged fixtures will take place for the first time since 2005.
López had played a bit-part role in this tournament until emerging from the bench and providing the pass from which Julián Álvarez scored a sumptuous goal in the second half of extra time. Lautaro Martínez sealed the win later to set the stage for a tumultuous clash in Atlanta on Wednesday.
“Obviously inside and outside the four lines of the pitch it’s a matchup that has a lot of history there, a lot of pain and a lot of things behind it,” López said. “I think we are professionals and we’re going to play it like we play every game: until the last second, leaving our lives on the field.”
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni preferred to focus on another last-four spot, and a huge step towards retaining the trophy his side won in 2022. “What this team has achieved is historic, even though we could have played better. It’s historic to be in a semi-final again,” he said. “It’s a privileged space in football, not an easy feat. We’re happy and excited now, and we will try to make it to the end with every last drop of sweat.”
Scaloni refused any invitation to pump up the volume before the meeting with England. “The message is this is a football game,” he said. “That is what I can say. We will be playing against a very tough opponent, they have an excellent coach, it is a football game and that is all.”
Switzerland had pegged back Argentina through a Dan Ndoye goal before Breel Embolo’s red card gave the reigning champions a crucial advantage. “It was very difficult for us to win the duels but ultimately we always find the solutions,” said Scaloni, who admitted his side struggled against their opponents’ physicality. “In the end we made it possible but it was a big lesson for us as we know what we will be facing.”
Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin was angered by the second booking given to Embolo, which was awarded for simulation after Leandro Paredes had initially been yellow-carded for fouling him. Had Paredes not received that caution, VAR could not have intervened to erase it and punish Embolo instead under the “mistaken identity” rule.
“There was definitely no reason to award that yellow card [to Paredes], I don’t understand it,” Yakin said. “It was a harmless situation. I don’t understand why the decision was made and our player was sent off.
“This rule destroyed our game today. I think it is extremely hurtful. We are not going to go to the semi-finals but I think we deserved to be there. To be eliminated that way hurts a lot but I can tell you we are very proud of our performance in this tournament.”
