England vs. Argentina History: Every Head to Head Match Between the World Cup Rivals

England and Argentina meet Wednesday for a spot in the World Cup final, and it’s been a while coming. The two sides hadn’t played each other since 2005, but few rivalries carry as much history, from a Hand of God to a David Beckham red card to a David Beckham redemption. Here’s every match the two nations have played. England vs. Argentina History Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal in Atlanta will be the 15th meeting between the two countries (their 16th encounter if the unofficial 1953 warm-up is included), and the first since that 2005 friendly. The Three Matches Everyone Remembers 1986: The Hand of God, and the Goal of the Century Diego Maradona scored twice in the quarterfinal in Mexico City, first with a blatant handball he later called “the Hand of God,” then with a run through half of England’s team that’s still known as the “Goal of the Century.” Argentina won, 2-1, and went on to win the tournament. 1998: Beckham’s Red Card David Beckham was sent off for a kick at Diego Simeone in the round of 16, leaving England to play a man down for more than an hour. The match finished 2-2 after extra time, and Argentina won on penalties, 4-3. 2002: Beckham’s Redemption Four years later, Beckham got the chance to put it right. He converted a penalty in England’s 1-0 group-stage victory, helping England advance while Argentina ultimately went home in the group stage. How to Watch England vs. Argentina Today