Thomas Tuchel is in the eye of the storm. England’s elimination at the hands of Argentina (1-2) in the World Cup semifinals has triggered a wave of criticism in English football. Former internationals, analysts, and media all agree in pointing to the German coach’s ultra-defensive approach after the 1-0.
Despite the efforts of the Argentine coach, Lionel Scaloni, to separate the football match from politics, some of the Albiceleste players celebrated the victory against England by displaying a banner that read: The Malvinas are Argentine, a sovereignty claim and a symbolic burden that marked the qualifier.
Rarely has such a thunderous “goool” been heard in my Barcelona neighborhood as the two from last night. Argentina will be in the final thanks to eight final minutes of madness, a positive event for football and adverse to Spain’s interests because it is hard to put the finishing touch…
Before the first World Cup semifinal, it was easy to jump on the bandwagon of those who saw France as the favorite. No one underestimated Spain, far from it, but Deschamps’ team was the one leaving the best impressions in the tournament, without a doubt. Four top-level forwards placed them as the best attacking team. “We are facing the best team…”, De la Fuente began telling his players in the locker room, before they went out to warm up at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas. It was only a prelude to the message he wanted to convey, the concept that is leading him to success. “… But we are the best team,” he concluded to energize the players before attempting what would become an overwhelming storming of the Bastille. July 14 will also be a national holiday in Spain because it opened the way to fight for the red team’s second star.
The King will fulfill his promise and this Sunday will accompany the players of the Spanish national football team who are seeking the second championship star to join the one they won in 2010 at the World Cup in South Africa. But he will not go alone, as Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor, and Infanta Sofía will also travel to New York to attend the match that will be held at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The final of this year’s World Cup could last up to half an hour, something unprecedented until now and which has generated a lot of criticism because it would mean doubling the usual break time between the first half and the second, completely breaking the rhythm of the players. The reason is none other than to accommodate the endless list of artists that FIFA wants to perform during the break and that hardly fit into the 15 minutes established by the regulations.
Seba, my brother-in-law, has been living in Berlin since the year of the catapum but is still very Argentine.
What could not happen on March 27 in Doha will become a reality next Sunday in New York. The Finalissima, which was supposed to pit the European champion against the champion of America and the world, will take place with the universal title at stake. In spring, the conflict between the United States and Israel with Iran, which destabilized the region and the world in general, prevented Spain and Argentina from facing each other in the second official match in their entire history. That match will now be much more important. Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal will face each other for the first and presumably last time on a playing field. 39 years and longevity records for the Argentine. 19 and precocity marks for the Spanish. The best player in history against the leader of the new generation of footballers.
The Atlanta Stadium is the new Azteca for Argentina, a stage for legendary comebacks and illogical victories for posterity. Mysticism and heart embraced once again to give Messi and the albiceleste an extra life. There is no team that survives better on the edge. There is no national team that endures more when everything is against them. Messi does not want to leave and his teammates do not let him go. In the chaos, Argentina reigns. Let the orderly Spain beware in the final, the albiceleste can never be counted out. No one beats madness.
The 2026 World Cup is entering its final stretch. In a new edition of Hay Mundial, we analyze Spain’s 2-0 victory over France, a win that places La Roja in the grand final sixteen years later. We review the key points of the match, the team’s performance, and the standout names that explain Spain’s advancement.