England vs. Argentina - a World Cup rivalry full of controversy

1962

England 3-1 Argentina

Group stage

Before the 1962 World Cup, there had been three previous meetings between England and Argentina, but they had all come in friendlies. The first competitive clash came in the second round of games, with Argentina having beaten Bulgaria and the Three Lions suffering a defeat to Hungary in Group 4.

Walter Winterbottom’s side took complete control of the encounter in Rancagua and were two goals up by half-time.

Ron Flowers opened the scoring from the 17th minute for the penalty spot before Bobby Charlton put England firmly in the driving seat just before the break. Jimmy Greaves then added a third after the hour mark to put the icing on the cake.

Getty

1966

England 1-0 Argentina

Quarter-final 

The rivalry went up a notch in 1966, as England and Argentina met on the Three Lions’ route to their ultimate glory.

There aren’t many World Cup games that come with such historical context as this meeting in 1966. Firstly, it’s still a game that Argentina remains bitter about, with it being known as el robo del siglo ("the theft of the century") down to their disgruntlement over England’s winner.

Geoff Hurst settled the game, but the South Americans were adamant the goal was offside.

Yet, the longer-lasting legacy of the game centred around Argentinian skipper Antonio Rattin.

The midfielder was shown his marching orders following a second caution of the game, but he claimed the decision was lost in translation and he refused to leave the pitch, so much so it led to the invention of red and yellow cards ahead of the next World Cup four years later. 

1986

Argentina 2-1 England

Quarter-final 

Their clash at the 1986 finals took on an even wider significance, with it being the first time the two nations had met since the Falklands War. The sweltering Azteca in Mexico hosted the game, and it would go down as one of the most iconic fixtures in World Cup history, and at the centre of it all was Argentina’s mercurial captain. 

The first half actually went without incident, as Bobby Robson’s side managed to keep their opponents at bay, but in the second half we’d see two sides of Maradona, a brace that has gone down in football folklore.

Five minutes into the second period, Maradona got on the end of a looping ball into the box and looped to have beaten Peter Shilton to open the scoring. However, on closer inspection, it was clear the forward had punched the ball into the net, and although the England players showed their obvious complaints to the referee, the goal wasn’t ruled out.

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Diego Maradona's dark arts 

The 'Hand of God' against England 

 

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Maradona was not done yet, though. Four minutes later, he picked up the ball in his own half, jinked and dribbled his way around half the England team before sliding the ball into the net to score one of the greatest-ever World Cup goals. 

Linker did manage to pull one back for the English, but the day belonged to Argentina’s number 10 and his 'Hand of God.' 

1998

Argentina 2-2 England (Argentina win 4-3 on pens) 

Round of 16 

The two nations failed to bump into each other in 1990 or 1994 – because England weren’t there – but they’d finally resume their rivalry at France ’98, with the Three Lions firmly intent on getting revenge for what happened in Mexico.

The Argentina-England clash was one of the games of the tournament, largely down to an electric start with the teams trading four goals in the first half.

Gabriel Batistuta and Alan Shearer both scored early penalties before the Three Lions took the lead with one of the great World Cup goals.

DAZN/FIFA

18-year-old Michael Owen was the team’s wildcard and was the moment he burst onto the scene. Picking up the ball on the halfway line, Owen’s driving run was too much for the Argentine defence, and he fired the ball into the top corner.

Yet, England’s lead was chalked off before half-time when Javier Zanetti squared things up with a clever free-kick routine.

However, the game is best remembered for David Beckham’s rush of blood to the head. His wayward kick at Diego Simeone right in front of the referee saw him see red, and England had to battle to take the game to penalties.

Unfortunately for the Three Lions, misses from Paul Ince and David Batty meant that for the third consecutive major tournament, England crashed out in a shootout.

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Michael Owen scores a wonder goal at France 98 

England striker stuns South Americans in last 16 epic 

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2002

England 1-0 Argentina 

Group Stage 

Four years on from the events in St-Etienne and everything David Beckham went through, he and England were granted redemption in Japan and South Korea. 

In a much less eventful game, the one moment of significance came from the boot of Beckham and finally handed England a first competitive win over Argentina since 1966.

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David Beckham gets revenge against Argentina at 2002 World Cup

 

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Mauricio Pochettino’s foul on Michael Owen resulted in a penalty kick, and it was Beckham who stepped up and hammered the ball home to gain his own personal redemption for what he had endured after his red card at France ’98. 

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