Fortune favours the giants on the road to Atlanta
Argentina and England will renew one of football's greatest rivalries in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinals after both survived nerve-shredding quarterfinals on Sunday, with their respective coaches admitting fortune played a significant role in keeping their title dreams alive.
England edged Norway 2-1 after extra time in Miami before defending champions Argentina overcame Switzerland 3-1 in an exhausting battle in Kansas City, setting up a mouthwatering last-four clash in Atlanta on Wednesday.
Despite the celebrations, neither Thomas Tuchel nor Lionel Scaloni attempted to mask their teams' shortcomings.
"We were lucky today," Tuchel admitted after England recovered from a goal down, while Scaloni echoed the sentiment following Argentina's dramatic victory, saying: "Today we had luck on our side."
Their confessions reflected the stories of two quarterfinals where fine margins, controversial moments and late drama decided the outcome.
England looked set for another disappointing evening when Andreas Schjelderup fired Norway ahead after a sluggish start from Tuchel's side in the sweltering Miami heat. Norway could have extended their advantage as Jordan Pickford denied Martin Odegaard before Alexander Sorloth squandered a glorious chance by shooting instead of finding an unmarked Erling Haaland.
Jude Bellingham rescued England before halftime with a brilliant individual effort and then struck again in extra time after Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland spilled Morgan Rogers' long-range effort.
However, England rode their luck throughout. Bellingham's equaliser survived Norwegian protests that the ball had allegedly struck the suspended spider camera during the build-up, while Norway also had what appeared to be a legitimate second-half goal ruled out following a VAR review that penalised Haaland for a foul before the corner was taken. Kristoffer Ajer then rattled the crossbar as Norway came within inches of a winner before extra time.
"The result is fantastic. The last four is amazing, but I'm not happy with the performance," Tuchel said. "We made life very, very difficult for ourselves... We were lucky today."
The German coach later insisted tournament football often demands fortune.
"No one ever denies that you need luck to go far in tournament football. You need moments where you're lucky, otherwise it's just not possible."
Argentina's route to the semifinals was equally tortuous.
The holders made the perfect start when Alexis Mac Allister glanced Lionel Messi's corner into the net after just 10 minutes, but Switzerland refused to buckle despite missing injured leading scorer Johan Manzambi.
Dan Ndoye deservedly levelled midway through the second half after Switzerland had repeatedly tested Emiliano Martinez, and the momentum appeared to be with the Europeans until Breel Embolo's controversial dismissal for simulation in the 72nd minute following a lengthy VAR review.
Even with a numerical advantage, Argentina struggled to break down Switzerland's stubborn resistance and looked destined for a penalty shootout. Messi came closest in stoppage time before Julian Alvarez finally settled the contest with a stunning long-range strike in the 112th minute. Lautaro Martinez added another in the closing stages after Thiago Almada's shot was parried.
Scaloni admitted Embolo's red card tilted the balance in Argentina's favour.
"We had to suffer a lot. We knew they were a physical team and that gave us a lot of trouble," he said. "Today we had luck on our side because one of their players was sent off. We could have played better but it's a big achievement to be in the semifinals."
The hard-fought victories leave both teams with reasons for optimism and concern. England once again relied on Bellingham's brilliance to overcome an unconvincing display, while Argentina needed extra time and late goals to see off a stubborn 10-man Switzerland.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. With both coaches acknowledging their sides benefited from slices of fortune in the quarterfinals, Wednesday's semifinal promises to test whether luck can continue to favour two of football's biggest heavyweights.
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