What happened in the first half of the England vs Argentina semifinal? | | World Cup 2026 news

All the big moments, highlights, mistakes and stats from the first 45 minutes of the warm-up game in Atlanta.

Great exchanges between players, fouls were criticized, but no goals marked the first half of the World Cup semifinal between England and Argentina in Atlanta.

The much-anticipated match on Wednesday is being played in a tense atmosphere as the reigning world champions meet a team ranked in the top 10 for the first time in the tournament.

The game quickly heated up, as weapons flew and words were exchanged between players from both sides, but the first half ended with nothing but a goal or a shot on goal.

What were the key moments of the England vs Argentina World Cup semifinal?

• Two minutes into the game, Jude Bellingham was fouled by Leandro Paredes and elbowed in the face.
• A few minutes later, Elliott Anderson’s challenge on Lionel Messi brought down the Argentine captain and led to the Englishman returning a foul from Enzo Fernandez. The referee was not happy, however, leaving the England bench in tears.
• Anderson won England’s second free kick when he was played in by Giuliano Simeone in the seventh minute, but England failed to convert it into anything.
• England kept the ball in Argentina’s half, building up the left flank, but were unable to convert them into shots on goal.
• In the 13th minute, Anderson and Fernandez were back, and they looked ready to fight on the field, Morgan Rogers and Paredes joined the party. England believed they had been wronged by the Argentina midfielder as head coach Thomas Tuchel again criticized the line-up. However, no cards came out.

How many cards were dealt in the England vs Argentina semifinal?

Both teams received one card, starting with Anderson in the 38th minute for challenging Messi, which brought players from both teams into a heated argument.

Shortly after, in the 42nd minute, Argentina’s Martinez was booked for a tackle on Rogers, which Martinez did by protesting before the game resumed.

How many fouls were committed in the first half of the semifinal?

England committed seven fouls, while Argentina committed 12 fouls.

What were the head to head scores in the first half of the England vs Argentina semifinal?

England had 44 percent, while Argentina dominated with 56 percent.