England vs Argentina is a match like no other. It is arguably the most highly-charged confrontation in the world of international football – haunted by the ghosts of war, perceived past wrongs on the football pitch, and a ready-made roll call of heroes and villains to choose from.

Games between the two sides represent what might be described as a culture clash of ethics and values, an enduring scrap over the way the game should be played and what counts as fair. The match tonight in Atlanta, for the prize of a place in the World Cup final, is destined to be a titanic clash; it cannot be anything else.

History be damned. England simply must win and march on to the final

History be damned. England simply must win and march on to the final

Time and again, encounters between these two great footballing nations have given fans some of the most extraordinary – and controversial – moments in World Cup history.

In 1966 – the last and only time England won the World Cup (as if anyone can forget) – the Three Lions faced Argentina in the quarter-finals at Wembley. This match marked the real start of the enduring rivalry between the two countries.

Argentina’s captain Antonio Rattin (who passed........

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