Scaloni cools England rivalry talk ahead of World Cup semi-final

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has downplayed the political and sporting rivalry with England, saying there is only football at stake when his team faces the Three Lions in the World Cup semi-final.

The match renews one of international football’s most storied rivalries, shaped by England's win over Argentina at the 1966 World Cup, the 1982 Falklands War and Diego Maradona's infamous "Hand of God" goal at the 1986 tournament.

Both teams also clashed at the 1998 World Cup, when Argentina beat the English side on penalties in the round of 16, and in 2002, when David Beckham's goal secured a 1-0 group-stage victory for England and helped send favourites Argentina home early.

After Scaloni’s side beat Switzerland 3-1 on Saturday to reach the semis and set up a clash against their old rivals, he said their showdown should be viewed as nothing more than a game.

"It's a soccer match. Period. There's nothing more to it," he told reporters.

"Let's not look for anything else," Scaloni said. "It's a soccer match. We're going to play a soccer match against a great national team that has a great coach whom I appreciate and admire a lot."

The Falklands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas, remain a sensitive issue between the two nations more than four decades after the 1982 conflict.

Argentina forward Jose Manuel Lopez acknowledged the history behind the fixture, but said the players would approach it professionally.

"Obviously, outside the four lines of the pitch, it's a matchup that has a lot of history, a lot of pain, and a lot behind it," he told reporters.

"But we're professionals. We're going to play it the way we play every match, until the very last second, as we showed tonight, leaving everything out there.

"It's a World Cup semi-final, a game that I think all of my teammates have dreamed of playing since we first started kicking a ball. We don't need any more motivation than that," Lopez added.

England and Argentina will meet in the FIFA World Cup semi-final on Wednesday.