France against Spain and England-Argentina forty years after the Mano de Dios: the final sprint of the World Cup brings out the best possible combination of technique, tactics, resistance and history.
The best four in the world rankings and also those who expressed the most logical and interesting football during the exhausting and only at times entertaining month of this World Cup. For the first time in the history of the World Cup, and it had never happened before, the most competitive teams on paper arrive in the decisive week of the world cup tournament. They will be the perfect semi-finals, an ideal spot for football which has been mistreated by the Infantino boys between fake rules invented for the use and consumption of the made in USA market and assorted controversies.
In the end, the god of football enjoyed giving back what men had taken away. France-Spain in Dallas and England-Argentina in Atlanta are two treasure chests that protect priceless treasures. Inside there are the most celebrated champions of this World Cup, the best stories and also the potential records to be broken in an edition that at times dragged on wearily (72 matches out of 104 to eliminate less than a third of the participants), but which also had the merit of bringing to life moments of history.
Better to say it in a low voice, however, so as not to give credence to the plans of the insatiable Infantino who in 2030 dreams of bringing 64 teams into a World Cup which will already be the most dispersive ever, having to play on three continents (South America, Europe and Africa) and six nations (Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Spain, Portugal and Mexico). It’s hard to even think about it, it’s better to stay focused on the present.
France-Spain, does Lamine stop Mbappé and his teammates?
Who stops the super France of Mbappé and Dembelé? The national team that could also have brought a second team to the World Cup with the concrete hope of moving forward? The one that overwhelmed Morocco, giving Africa’s top team the same treatment as Sweden, suffering only against the tenacious Paraguay? Everyone asks the question, the answer doesn’t necessarily exist.
On paper, Spain represents the best that European football can deploy to stop Deschamps and his boys. He is the reigning European champion, overflowing with talent and tactical knowledge and also has a couple of men on a mission on behalf of destiny as Merinothe can opener of complex situations, e Oyarzabal which is turning out to be a gunner. The challenge within challenges is the one between Mbappé And Yamal laminae. So far it has been the Frenchman’s World Cup who is chasing Messi in the all-time top scorers rankings.
Brief summary: Messi didn’t have time to disintegrate Klose’s previous record (he rose to 21) before Kylian got in his wake (20) with the advantage of having an identity card on his side that will allow him to appear at least twice more at the starting line of a final phase of the World Cup. Overtaking, however, could already happen in the States. Yamal recovered from his injury in the final phase of the season with Barcelona but so far he has not yet seen his full potential. The time, if it has to come, is now.
Argentina against England in memory of the Mano de Dios
Argentina vs England is the call of destiny for Leo Messi. By raising the trophy to the Qatar sky in 2022 he has paid off his debt to the national team, now he faces the English forty years after Hand of God and from that match at the Aztec in Mexico City which became legend for Maradona. It’s not just football, it’s much more and the Argentine people immersed themselves in the long eve of the semi-final, returning to the memories of 1986 as if it were yesterday and not half a century ago.
The Falklands war (or the Malvinas, or vice versa), two worlds so far apart that they do not touch each other two national teams who recognize themselves in the technical and emotional leaders who guide them and who answer to the names of Leo Messi and Harry Kane. Both have suffered hell to get here and the Albiceleste seriously risked not making it against Egypt and Switzerland, also blessed by good luck.
Statistics in hand, they are the two least convincing semi-finalists of the lot, for what they have been able to produce in this month of football. But the numbers mean nothing. In the only match in which Messi did not put his name on the scoreboard, Scaloni had answers from Julian Alvarez And Lautaro Messi: they serve like bread. And the same happened to Tuchel, challenged inside his own locker room, with Jude Bellingham who is the only other English scorer apart from Kane and Rashford (an early goal).
