CycloNepal

𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝘆: Visual reconstruction presented by the Spanish daily 𝙀𝙡 𝙋𝙖𝙞́𝙨 explains, metre by metre, Diego Maradona's second strike against England in that historic 1986 quarter-final match at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. Not sure about the Spanish? Don’t worry; football speaks a language everyone understands!

El gol de Maradona metro a metro: reconstrucción visual del partido más famoso de la historia Hace 40 años, Argentina derrotó a Inglaterra cuatro años después de la guerra de Malvinas. El astro argentino marcó primero con la mano y cuatro minutos después eludió a medio equipo inglés para hacer el gol del siglo

'𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙈𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞'
Former Scotland international and one of Liverpool's most decorated captains, Graeme Souness, says Maradona was a magician, but the current talisman is a freak built with bravery and attitude who is still carrying his nation at the age of 39.
The Telegraph columnist even goes so far as to say Thomas Tuchel shouldn’t even bother coming up with a plan to stop him, because it won’t work ⤵️

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙙 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧

How many of you noticed Argentina wearing black armbands during their World Cup quarter-final against Switzerland earlier this week?
It wasn't a routine tribute. The players were mourning Antonio Rattín, who died at the age of 89. The former Argentina captain played a pivotal role in changing football forever.
Rattín was sent off against hosts England in a fiery 1966 World Cup quarter-final. According to FIFA's official account, the ensuing dispute delayed play for nearly 10 minutes.
The controversy is widely credited with inspiring former FIFA refereeing chief Ken Aston to introduce the yellow and red card system, which debuted at the 1970 World Cup.
As if history has a sense of timing, England and Argentina are now set to write another chapter in one of football's fiercest rivalries. The British press have predictably seized the moment. They're reaching beyond the pitch to rekindle memories of past battles and fan the flames ahead of another blockbuster encounter.

England and Argentina have disliked each other for 64 years, here’s why:

❌ Sir Alf Ramsey stops players from swapping shirts with Argentine 'animals'
🏴‍☠️ Argentine newspaper takes aim at British 'pirates'
🟥 Rattín refuses to leave pitch after red card
✊ Maradona's 'Hand of God'
🔄 Beckham's redemption arc

Telegraph Sport looks at the complete history of one of the World Cup’s most vicious rivalries ⤵️
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2026/07/14/red-cards-hand-of-god-history-england-argentina-rivalry/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_fb_photo_god-history-england-argentina-rivalry/

𝗔𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮’𝘀 𝗻𝗮𝘃𝘆 𝗯𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲

In a rivalry steeped in history and emotion, even a shirt colour carries meaning.
The mind games have started before the blockbuster semi-final between Argentina and England. Apparently, FIFA has approved Argentina’s request to wear their navy blue away kit instead of the traditional home strip.
As both sides look for every possible edge, Argentina’s choice of kit has raised eyebrows. It may stem from the fact that the team wore the same navy strip during Maradona’s infamous “Hand of God” moment against England in 1986.
Superstition/psychological ploy or not, the jersey decision has only jacked up the tension.

And here’s former England striker Michael Owen’s account of what a match against Argentina means.

Michael Owen: I was just an 18-year-old running past defenders MICHAEL OWEN: This is how much it means to beat Argentina - I once out-jumped Peter Crouch to head a last-minute winner against them! The feeling of scoring a friendly goal has never been so good.

𝘼𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙖’𝙨 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙨 𝙀𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙’𝙨 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝘾𝙪𝙥 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢

Argentina fought back from a goal down to defeat England 2-1 in a thrilling World Cup semi-final, booking their place in the final after a fiercely contested encounter.
Wearing their dark second-choice kit, Argentina endured a physical battle filled with crunching tackles, heated protests and repeated clashes between players. England struck first through Anthony Gordon, taking control of a tense contest.
Argentina responded through their trademark resilience. Lionel Messi created the equaliser with a composed low pass from the edge of the box, allowing Enzo Fernández to fire a powerful strike past Jordan Pickford.
The goal shifted the momentum as Argentina grew in confidence and pinned England back. Pickford produced a superb late save to keep England in the game, but Lautaro Martínez eventually found the decisive breakthrough.
The victory sent Argentina into the World Cup final, while England were left devastated after seeing their early lead overturned by relentless Argentine pressure.

𝙎𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙁𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝘽𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙮

Spain spoiled France's Bastille Day celebrations with a convincing 2–0 victory to enter the World Cup final for the second time. Mikel Oyarzabal gave Spain the lead from the spot in the first half and Pedro Porro added a second after the break.
Spain dominated possession and defended resolutely, leaving France unable to find a way back. The 2010 champions head to New York/New Jersey, where they await the winner of England-Argentina in the other semi-final.