Georgia [US], July 15 : Argentina expressed confidence ahead of their FIFA World Cup semifinal against England, with the national team's official X account sharing training snippets and a message of unity before the high-stakes encounter.
"The preparation is over! Now it's our turn. More united than ever and with the drive of our entire country. We're not 26, we're 48 million playing this match," the official X account of the Argentina National Football Team posted.
https://x.com/Argentina/status/2077094934763475214?s=20
The images shared by the team showed players taking part in the final training session, with the squad appearing relaxed and focused ahead of the semifinal. The photographs featured Lionel Messi during training and interacting with teammates, while other players were seen participating in drills and warm-up exercises.
Argentina will take on England in the World Cup semifinal, with a place in the final at stake. The winners of the contest will face either France or Spain in the title clash.
Argentina head into the semi-final after surviving another dramatic knockout battle, defeating Switzerland 3-1 after extra time.
Messi provided the assist for Alexis Mac Allister's opening goal from a corner before Julian Alvarez's stunning strike and Lautaro Martinez's late finish sealed victory. It was also the first World Cup match since Argentina's group-stage win over Poland in Qatar 2022 in which Messi failed to score.
The reigning champions have shown remarkable resilience throughout the knockout rounds, edging Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time before overturning a two-goal deficit to beat Egypt 3-2 in the round of 16.
"We'll try to get some rest because we've been under a lot of pressure and it's taken its toll," Messi said, as per FIFA. "The squad feels it, but we're in the best possible shape to carry on doing what we've been doing: competing."
The semi-final also revives one of football's most iconic rivalries.
England and Argentina have not met in a competitive fixture since the 2002 FIFA World Cup, when England claimed a 1-0 victory.
More than two decades later, Messi now has the opportunity to script his own chapter in the storied rivalry as Argentina chase a place in the final and bid to become the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend the FIFA World Cup title.