Simeone, Beckham, Owen and the five England-Argentina after Maradona’s

It has been more than twenty years since England and Argentina last took to the same playing field. It has been 7,914 days since they last faced each other, on November 11, 2005. It is normal that Leo Messi has never faced the English, but Ayala, Samuel, and Aimar, three members of Lionel Scaloni’s coaching staff, have.

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This is a rivalry that has occurred sporadically due to the rivalry that reached its highest levels after the 1986 World Cup quarter-final match and Maradona’s performance. This is a review of the five matches played since then, in which the albiceleste has never been able to beat the Three Lions again in either 90 or 120 minutes. The only victory came in a penalty shootout at the France World Cup.

Maradona never played this classic again. It could have happened in the Italy World Cup final but it did not. Nor a year later. Not even six years had passed since the events at the Azteca when a friendly was arranged at the old Wembley. The problem then was that, two months earlier, Pelusa’s first doping case had exploded in Naples, where after a match against Bari he tested positive for cocaine. Suspended for 15 months, Basile, Bilardo’s replacement, could not take him to the old Wembley.

Lineker, one of the two who were in Mexico alongside Barnes, put England ahead, who in the second half made it 2-0 through Platt. However, in five minutes Claudio García, who scored his first goal with the senior team, and Darío Franco equalized for a very renewed Argentina where Cholo Simeone was already playing.

Simeone would be a main actor in St. Étienne, where they met in the quarter-finals of the 1998 France World Cup. The match could not have started more electrifyingly with two penalties in the first ten minutes. Batistuta beat Seaman and Shearer beat Roa. The pace was frantic and Owen scored a great goal dribbling past Chamot and Ayala before finishing. Just before halftime Zanetti made it 2-2. At the start of the second half came the famous scuffle: Beckham fell for Simeone’s provocation and was sent off.

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With ten men, England saw a Campbell goal disallowed from a corner. They held on until penalties but fell. Paul Ince and David Batty missed, the decisive one saved by Roa.

Again a friendly that was little friendly despite being in February near Valentine’s Day. Again, Simeone and Beckham face to face. The occasion deserved it as it was the day chosen to close the old Wembley and start building the new one. The spectacle did not accompany. Bielsa on the Argentine bench, Keegan on the English bench. The match had no goals but six yellow cards, including one to Ayala in the 90th minute for time-wasting. A sign that this is more than a duel that no one ever likes to lose.

In the 2002 World Cup, the draw placed Argentina and England in the same group F. On the second matchday, in Sapporo, the English arrived more in need after drawing against Sweden while Argentina was optimistic after beating Nigeria. Nothing could be further from the truth. The British won with a penalty goal by Beckham that had the air of a personal revenge for what happened four years earlier. Argentina, which brought in Aimar, Crespo, and Piojo López to try to equalize, left empty-handed. Five days later they were eliminated, unable to overcome Sweden.

The last precedent was played in Geneva, on neutral ground. But that did not prevent sparks from flying again. Argentina took the lead through Crespo but Rooney quickly equalized. In the second half, Samuel and Ayala scored the second for Pekerman’s team, who saw how in a final stretch of back and forth two consecutive headers from Michael Owen in the 87th and 92nd minutes surprised Abbondanzieri and turned the score around. Messi could have played that match, having already debuted with the senior team, but he was suspended precisely because of the red card he received in Hungary and missed it.

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