It’s NOT Coming Home, Spain Cruise Past France; Argentina Edge England to Final

Billy Galligan - Author

Welcome back everybody. I'm Billy Galligan, coming to you from Atlanta, Georgia — which this week hosted a World Cup semi-final.

Simon Carver

And I'm Simon Carver. And Billy, I think we need to start with the elephant in the room.

Billy Galligan - Author

We do. But let's do Spain France first because it deserves its moment.

Simon Carver

Fair enough. Spain versus France in Dallas. The game everyone had circled as potentially the match of the tournament.

Billy Galligan - Author

Mbappé, the leading scorer. Yamal, the seventeen year old who has lit up this whole competition. Deschamps' last dance as France manager. All the ingredients for something special.

Simon Carver

And Spain just... took it apart. Completely controlled it from start to finish.

Billy Galligan - Author

A quiet first half swung Spain's way when Digne fouled Yamal in the box. Oyarzabal converted the penalty coolly. And then in the fifty-eighth minute Porro made it two-nil — give and go with Olmo, side-foot past Maignan. Yamal had a third ruled out for offside. Spain could have been even more comfortable.

Simon Carver

France were restricted to 0.3 xG from ten shots. Three on target. Mbappé kept quiet for the second consecutive game — Spain doing to him what England did to Haaland in the quarter finals.

Billy Galligan - Author

Spain scored with both their shots on target. Ruthless, clinical, dominant. No need for Merino heroics this time — they didn't need a super substitute because they were super from the start.

Simon Carver

For France it's the third-place play-off on Saturday — Deschamps' final game in charge after years of brilliant service. He deserved a better send-off but football doesn't do sentiment.

Billy Galligan - Author

Spain in their first World Cup final since 2010. Sixteen years on from winning it. La Roja are back.

Simon Carver

And then Atlanta.

Billy Galligan - Author

And then Atlanta. My city. Argentina versus England. At a World Cup semi-final. I need to just sit with that for a moment.

Simon Carver

The history between these two nations at a World Cup is unlike anything else in football. The Falklands. The Hand of God in 1986. The Goal of the Century in the same game. 1998. 2002. Every time they meet it carries the weight of everything that came before.

Billy Galligan - Author

And this one lived up to every bit of it. Cagey first half, neither side giving anything away. And then the second half burst into life in the fifty-fifth minute — Gordon smashed England ahead from Rogers' pinpoint delivery. England one-nil up. Against Argentina. In Atlanta. The noise was extraordinary.

Simon Carver

Argentina turned the screw immediately. Mac Allister thumped a header against the inside of the post — inches away from equalising straight away.

Billy Galligan - Author

And then in the eighty-fifth minute — Fernandez. Brilliant finish from distance after his earlier effort had been tipped over the bar. One-one. And then — because this is Argentina, because this is Messi — the winner came. Messi crossing. Fernandez heading home. Two-one.

Simon Carver

Another late Argentina turnaround. Another Messi assist at the critical moment. They had fifteen attempts and an xG of 1.84. England had five shots and 0.53 xG. Argentina were the better team and got what they deserved.

Billy Galligan - Author

England fought brilliantly. Bellingham, Kane, Gordon — all gave everything. A World Cup semi-final. Only their fourth ever. They should be enormously proud of what they achieved in this tournament.

Simon Carver

But they're out. Third-place play-off against France on Saturday.

Billy Galligan - Author

And I say this, Simon, as an Irishman, with nothing but the warmest and most affectionate good-natured ribbing —

Simon Carver

Go on then.

Billy Galligan - Author

It's NOT coming home.

Simon Carver

Ha!

Billy Galligan - Author

It was never coming home. But they came closer than they have in a very long time and I genuinely mean that with respect. Just — not this time. Not home. Not on Sunday.

Simon Carver

Right. So. The final.

Billy Galligan - Author

Argentina versus Spain. Messi versus Yamal. The greatest player of his generation against the next one. New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday.

Simon Carver

Messi's almost certainly last World Cup final. A chance to go back-to-back. To defend the title he won in Qatar. Against a Spain side that has been the most impressive team in the tournament.

Billy Galligan - Author

Spain have conceded one goal. One. Through the entire tournament to the final. Their defence has been extraordinary. And yet Argentina keep finding ways through — Cape Verde in extra time, Egypt from two-nil down with eleven minutes left, England with a late Messi assist.

Simon Carver

Can Spain stop Messi one more time? Can Yamal deliver on the biggest stage of all against the man he's spent his whole career idolising?

Billy Galligan - Author

These are the questions that will be answered on Sunday. And I for one cannot wait.

Simon Carver

This World Cup started with three red cards in the opening game and it ends with one of the greatest finals ever assembled on paper. Cape Verde dreaming. Germany out to Paraguay. Norway beating Brazil. An Irishman from Crumlin playing Messi in extra time. Algeria Austria three-three. England ten men at the Azteca.

Billy Galligan - Author

And now Messi versus Yamal. In New York. For the World Cup.

Simon Carver

We'll be back with the final preview tomorrow, the third place play-off on Saturday, the final on Sunday and the full tournament wrap on Monday.

Billy Galligan - Author

Thanks for listening everybody. We're nearly there.

Simon Carver

See you tomorrow.