KANSAS CITY, Missouri ¨C A World Cup semifinal between Argentina and England scarcely needs extra storylines, but Wednesday¡¯s clash in ?Atlanta arrives carrying decades of soccer drama, political baggage and two teams that have made a habit of surviving on the edge.
From England¡¯s victory at the 1966 World Cup to the shadow cast by the 1982 Falklands War, from Diego Maradona¡¯s ¡°Hand of God¡± goal in 1986 to major duels in 1998 and 2002, meetings between the countries have long felt larger than soccer.
Yet Argentina¡¯s players and its coach, Lionel Scaloni, ?have sought to strip away the emotion surrounding the rivalry, insisting the semifinal should be treated as another step toward ?the biggest ?prize in the sport.
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