Why do Argentina and England hate each other? History behind World Cup rivals
· Yahoo Sports
The England vs. Argentina World Cup semifinal started out chippy on Wednesday, and there is a very good reason for that. The countries have a long history on and off the pitch.
Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands on April 2, 1982. The islands sit in the South Atlantic. Britain has held them as an overseas territory since 1833, and Argentina, which calls them the Islas Malvinas, has wanted them back ever since. Margaret Thatcher sent a naval task force. The fighting lasted 74 days and killed about 649 Argentine and 255 British troops before Argentina surrendered.
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The teams didn't meet again until the 1986 World Cup, in the quarterfinals, and that game is the one people still argue about. Argentina won 2-1. Diego Maradona scored both goals. He knocked the first in with his hand, now known as the "Hand of God" goal. The second goal he scored on a run past four England players from inside his own half.
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World Cup knockout round format
The World Cup becomes a single-elimination tournament once the knockout stage begins. The 32 remaining teams have been placed into a bracket, and the field will halve itself during each ensuing round of the tournament until a winner is crowned.
The lone exception is that the two semifinal losers will play in a third-place game ahead of the World Cup final.
World Cup knockout stage bracket, matchups, schedule
Round of 16
- July 4: France def Paraguay - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
- July 4: Morocco def Canada - Houston
- July 5: Norway def Brazil - East Rutherford
- July 5: England def Mexico - Mexico City
- July 6: Spain def Portugal - Arlington
- July 6: Belgium def USA - Seattle
- July 7: Argentina def Egypt - Atlanta
- July 7: Switzerland def Colombia - Vancouver
Quarterfinals
- July 9: France def Morocco - Foxborough
- July 10: Spain def Belgium - Inglewood
- July 11: England def England - Miami
- July 11: Argentina def Switzerland - Kansas City
Semifinals
- July 14: France vs. Spain - Arlington
- July 15: England vs. Argentina - Atlanta
Final
- July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why do Argentina and England hate each other? History behind World Cup rivals