I experienced a déjà-vu this weekend when Lionel Scaloni tried to downplay the historical tension of the semifinal between Argentina and England. I had a flashback to an interview I did 40 years ago with Diego Maradona before another Argentina-England in a World Cup, the one with “the hand…

At many times England plays with two center forwards. Tuchel has pushed Jude Bellingham so far forward that his presence confuses the defenses, because he comes in where only Harry Kane is expected. Both have taken advantage of that confusion to become one of the most prolific pairs in a World Cup.

There are matches that smell of history, that exude rivalry, that are destined to become myths and that will be forever embedded in individual and collective memory. Today’s England-Argentina semifinal in Atlanta is not just another match. Neither for one side nor the other because it directly appeals to their identity. For both, it is the challenge of the great symbol. For the Albiceleste, facing the English refers to avenging national and nationalist wounds, and that is how they sing it – fans and players, by the way. For the Three Lions, the memory of what happened in 1986 at the Azteca is an affront, because of the cheating on the first goal, because of the humiliation of the second.

Didier Deschamps appeared visibly disappointed after France’s defeat against Spain (0-2) in the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup. The French coach regretted his team’s elimination, acknowledged the superiority of the Spanish team, and, although he avoided focusing his speech on the refereeing, hinted at his displeasure over several decisions made during the match.

Spain is just one match away from lifting the World Cup for the second time in its history after defeating France with overwhelming superiority in the semifinals. When the national team plays, there is an opinion column by Mariano Rajoy, and this time the attention to the words of the former Prime Minister was at its highest after he caused a great political stir in the previous one by talking about a French team that plays “without French players.”