Can He Speak Out? "Argentina Coach" Fires Back at Criticism Despite Reaching 2026 World Cup Semifinals
On 15 July 2026, Lionel Scaloni, head coach of Argentina, gave an interview ahead of the 2026 World Cup semifinal final match against fierce rival England, scheduled for tonight at 02:00 on 16 July Thailand time.
Before this match, Argentina faced criticism for their less-than-impressive performances, having struggled through all three knockout rounds.
Round of 32: Won 3-2 against Cape Verde after extra time.
Round of 16: Came back from two goals down to win 3-2 over Egypt.
Quarterfinals: Won 3-1 against Switzerland after extra time.
Nonetheless, Argentina has achieved 13 consecutive wins across all competitions and scored 17 goals—the highest in this tournament. Lionel Scaloni countered the criticism, saying, "The team hasn't played as badly as some say. We must be doing something right to have reached this stage."
"I’m grateful to every player. They’ve led us to three titles already (the 2022 World Cup and Copa América 2021, 2024), and now we’ve reached the semifinals again. We’re just one step away, and we will give everything we have to get there."
"Honestly, I’m not worried about whether we play exactly how I planned. A month and a half ago, if someone had offered me a spot in the World Cup semifinals, I would have grabbed it by any means."
"It doesn’t matter to me at all. The team’s condition doesn’t matter. I have no complaints, whether we’re tired or not—it has no impact."
"Now that we’re in the World Cup semifinals, I’m extremely excited, and all of us are very happy. We have assessed the team’s condition and are ready to play in this match."
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