English striker Harry Kane said his team needs to set intense emotions aside for their matchup against Argentina.
Though halfway across the world from each other, the two countries have a bitter rivalry on the international stage, to go with the incredible stakes of Tuesday’s World Cup semifinal match. Kane told British news outlet iTV on Monday that the media narratives around the two teams are not what his side will be focusing on.
“What a game,” he said.
“What an occasion to play one of the best teams, the reigning world champions, in a semi-final of the World Cup. I think in these moments, I think back to being a kid and having dreams, and what it'd be like to play in these games.
“And yeah, this is as big as it gets. So I’m really excited for this week. I think it’s going to be a special game. And yeah, what a tough, tough team to play against, but yeah, hopefully that brings the best out in us.”
The two nations have played each other 15 times and five times in the World Cup: England won three of those fixtures, Argentina won one, and one was a draw.
But those matches have been fraught with tension. There was the 1966 World Cup quarterfinal, in which Argentine midfielder Antonio Rattín was escorted off the pitch by police after receiving three cautions in the match. Then there was the infamous “hand of God” game in the 1986 World Cup, in which Argentine legend Diego Maradona scored a goal off his left hand; Maradona scored again to give Argentina a 2–1 win; they would go on to win the tournament later that year.
Then there was the 1998 World Cup, infamous for David Beckham’s red card and a costly foul on striker Alan Shearer. Beckham redeemed himself with a penalty kick that proved to be the only goal in England’s 1–0 win in the Group Stage of the 2002 World Cup.
Aside from the rivalry on the pitch, the two nations are at odds in the geopolitical realm: The Falkland Islands sit some 300 miles east of Argentina, but are a British overseas territory. The two countries fought the Falklands War over the islands, and the islands remain the subject of an ongoing sovereignty dispute.
“I think it’s not something you want to focus too much on, the surrounding—the history,” he said of the intensity of the rivalry.
“And yeah, that’s all part of it, and that’s what [the media] will talk about, the fans will be involved in.
“But from a player’s point of view, it’s us against a great team who are smart, who are tactical, who know how to buy fouls, know how to slow the game down; like many different teams you’ve come up against throughout your whole career.
“So it’s England versus Argentina, two of the biggest nations going toe-to-toe, two giants in a semi-final of a World Cup. The rest of it is just a small part for us. We have a focus, we have a preparation that we do in every moment, in every game. And this game is no different. And the most important thing is that we back ourselves to be successful on this stage.”
With this match being the first time the two nations have crossed paths in the tourney since 2002, it will also be the first time that one of the sport’s greatest players, Lionel Messi, faces England. Kane, a legend in his own right among English footballers, paid his respects to Messi, but said the game is about the two teams.
“[It’s] crazy, really, when you think about it, how long he’s been at the top of his game and never played England,” Kane said.
“So [it’s] a unique occasion, I guess. But ultimately, we know how good a player he is. We know what he’s done in the game, how consistent he’s been for so long.
“But the game is against Argentina, not against Lionel Messi. So we have a lot of preparation to do; we’re coming up against a great unit, a great team with fantastic players. As much as it'll be built up around Messi and the big players, we know it’s a lot more than that.”
