Argentina capitalized on England's vulnerabilities and uncertainty to secure World Cup semi-final victory, claims Scaloni

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Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni said his side sensed England had lost belief after taking the lead in Wednesday’s FIFA World Cup semi-final clash.

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This is as he insisted that the defending champions capitalised on the momentum shift to secure a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory and book a second consecutive appearance in the final.

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England went ahead through Anthony Gordon before Argentina equalised with a long-range strike from Enzo Fernández.

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Lautaro Martínez then headed home a Lionel Messi cross deep into stoppage time to seal victory.

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Reflecting on the contest, Scaloni said: “The opponent doubted themselves a bit. We smelled blood and went for it. We all felt it.”

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He added that his players remained composed after conceding first, saying: “Yes, after England scored we showed a lot about our football. It’s more than tactics and playing pretty football.”

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Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez also said Argentina noticed England becoming increasingly defensive after taking the lead.

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“We felt it. We felt them going backwards and backwards rather than going forward,” he said, adding, “Sometimes when you are winning, you have to go forward anyway. You can’t change the gameplan. I think they did it and they put extra defenders.”

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Looking ahead to Sunday’s final against Spain, Scaloni hailed his team’s resilience, saying: “I’m lost for words. A great happiness for our country and our people… This shirt merits us giving absolutely everything possible until the very end.”

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PUNCH Online reports that the defending champion Argentina will face off with the 2010 winners Spain on Sunday.

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On the other hand, England and France will slug it out for the third place on Saturday.

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