The World Cup history behind England v Argentina ahead of historic semi final | OneFootball

England and Argentina will meet at a World Cup for the first time in 24 years when they face each other in Wednesday’s semi-final in Atlanta.

It will be the sixth World Cup meeting between the nations and the first since David Beckham’s penalty secured a 1-0 victory for Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side during the 2002 tournament in Japan.

While England’s current squad has little direct connection to those previous contests, the fixture remains one of the most recognisable in international football thanks to a series of memorable meetings stretching back more than six decades.

England actually hold the advantage in World Cup meetings, winning three of the previous five encounters.

The first came in the group stage in Chile in 1962 when goals from Ron Flowers, Bobby Charlton and Jimmy Greaves earned a 3-1 victory.

Four years later, the countries met in the quarter-finals at Wembley on England’s way to lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy. Geoff Hurst scored the only goal after Argentina captain Antonio Rattin had been sent off during a controversial contest that remained a talking point for years afterwards.

Perhaps the most famous meeting arrived at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

Diego Maradona scored both goals in Argentina’s 2-1 quarter-final victory, first with the controversial ‘Hand of God’ goal before producing a remarkable solo effort that is still widely regarded as one of the greatest goals in World Cup history. Gary Lineker scored England’s late consolation, but Argentina progressed before eventually winning the tournament.

Another classic followed in France in 1998.

Alan Shearer and Gabriel Batistuta exchanged early penalties before Michael Owen announced himself on the world stage with a brilliant individual goal. Javier Zanetti equalised before half-time and England’s task became harder when David Beckham was sent off for kicking out at Diego Simeone. Sol Campbell later had a goal ruled out before Argentina won the penalty shoot-out.

England gained a measure of revenge four years later in Japan and South Korea.

Beckham, captaining his country, converted the decisive penalty after Michael Owen was fouled by Mauricio Pochettino, giving England a 1-0 group-stage victory that helped secure qualification for the knockout rounds while Argentina exited the competition.

Wednesday’s meeting will also be Lionel Messi’s first World Cup appearance against England despite featuring in five previous tournaments.

For Thomas Tuchel’s side, it represents an opportunity to reach England’s first World Cup final since 1966. Argentina, meanwhile, are aiming to defend the title they won four years ago.

History alone will not decide the outcome in Atlanta, but previous meetings between the two nations have ensured this remains one of the most significant fixtures in World Cup history.