Marquee matchup: It’s England-Argentina in Atlanta for World Cup semifinals
The Atlanta showdown is set.
It’ll be England facing defending champion Argentina in the World Cup semifinals, which will be played at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Atlanta Stadium.
Both teams played in Atlanta in the knockout rounds, and they’ll make for a marquee matchup for the right to play in the final.
In Saturday’s first quarterfinal, Jude Bellingham both goals, boosting England to a 2-1 victory in extra time at Miami Stadium. The go-ahead score came in the 93rd minute off a rebound from an attempt near the top of the box.
England is looking for its first World Cup championship since 1966.
Argentina earned its spot in the semifinals without a goal from its superstar, Lionel Messi, but a timely strike from Julían Álvarez in the 112th minute gave them the lead. Lautaro Martínez added another in the 121st minute for the final margin in a 3-1 breathtaking triumph over Switzerland at Kansas City Stadium.
England played in Atlanta in the round of 32 and defeated Congo 2-1 on July 1. Argentina won a World Cup classic match with a 3-2 come-from-behind win over Egypt on Tuesday.
The semifinal matchup will be the eighth and last World Cup match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which was renamed Atlanta Stadium for the world’s largest soccer tournament.
Argentina’s Alexis Mac Allister converted a corner kick from Messi in the 10th minute for the reigning champion, and Switzerland’s Dan Ndoye evened the score at 1-1 in the second half, giving the Swiss hope of making its first World Cup semifinal.
The Swiss played with only 10 men after Breel Embolo got a red card late in the second half.
Before the England-Norway match, there was a brief moment of silence before the match in honor of Jayden Adams, the 25-year-old midfielder for South Africa whose death was announced earlier Saturday.