Argentina men’s national football team head coach Lionel Scaloni said his team will go “all in with whatever [they] have left” in its World Cup 2026 semifinal matchup against England.
“It’s hard not to suffer on your way to a World Cup semifinal,” Scaloni added in the press conference following his team’s 3-1 extra-time win in the quarterfinals against Switzerland. Argentina struggled for long periods against the Swiss and was lucky a timely red card changed the run of play.
The Albiceleste boss chose to highlight the team’s growth, pointing out that “games like this” used to put his team in hot water four years ago at Qatar 2022.
“Nowadays, even when a team dominates us, attacks us or even ties the game, it paints a less bleak picture than before. The team keeps calm and keeps fighting, and that’s something we didn’t have before,” he said.
Scaloni lauded Switzerland, calling them “a great team” that made things hard for Argentina with their physical play.
“Physicality plays a big role at this stage. They won every duel on the pitch and on the loose balls. All of that makes things harder for you,” he said.
The turning point
The sending off of Swiss forward Breel Embolo, who earned his second yellow card and an automatic send-off for diving to simulate a foul, changed the game.
Scaloni instantly saw that the opening for his team.
“We saw that an opportunity was opening up that, up until that point, had seemed unlikely,” he said. “One of the things I learned from being a coach is that when you believe you have to do something, you have to do it right then and there and not let the chance slip away.”
Scaloni insisted his team won because they were “ambitious” and eager to avoid a penalty shootout, which would’ve given the Swiss a new emotional push after surviving with 10 men.
“We said we were going to win, and when you get that into your head, it’s a positive sign. It was the emotional aspect and the desire to win, not so much the game itself,” he said.”
The Scaloni formula
Wednesday’s match against England will be Scaloni’s fifth semifinal in five major international tournaments at the helm of the Argentine national team, starting with the 2019 Copa América.
The coach alluded to this as something “to be happy with.”
Scaloni went on to say that he doesn’t have “the formula” for how he and his staff have brought so much success to the Albiceleste. He made a point of insisting that what they’ve accomplished would have been very difficult to do “without the players we have.”
However, some have criticized Scaloni over his team selection. Bright young stars like Nicolás Paz, Valentín Barco, or Giuliano Simeone are earning few minutes, while some of the usual players under him remain staples of the team.
Scaloni said their ages aren’t the problem.
“We analyze the game and make decisions as the team requires, but I can make mistakes just like everyone else does,” he said. “If we think they or someone else needs to come on, they will.”
‘Just a football match’
The win set up a big clash for Argentina in the semifinals, where it will face off against bitter rivals England.
Argentina vs. England has been a tense matchup, particularly since the 1982 Malvinas War and the 1986 quarterfinal clash.
Scaloni was eager to lower tensions in the buildup, however.
“It’s just a football match; let’s not make it something else,” he said. “We’re playing a great team, led by a great coach who I appreciate and admire a lot. It’s just a football match, nothing else.”
Despite a lackluster performance against Switzerland, Scaloni said the focus should be on reaching a new World Cup semifinal, which he called “a privileged place to be in football.”
“Maybe we take it for granted, but it’s not that easy. We have to be happy and excited, and we’ll go all in with whatever we have left, down to the last drop of sweat. We’re going to go for it all,” he concluded.
Editorial disclaimer: Although the UK refers to the territory as the “Falkland Islands”, Argentina strongly contests this name. The Buenos Aires Herald uses “Malvinas” to refer to the islands.
Cover image: Selección Argentina Twitter
