Egypt had scored either side of the break to give themselves an unlikely 2-0 lead, but couldn’t hold on for what would’ve been one of the biggest World Cup shocks of all-time. Instead, it’s Argentina who march on, with a clash against Switzerland up next in the quarter-finals.
Victory in that game could set up a potential semi-final meeting with England, should the Three Lions progress past Norway in their last-eight encounter. If so, it would unearth memories of great meetings of years gone by, but also likely be overshadowed by the Falklands conflict of the 1980s.
The two nations were at odds for 10 weeks during 1982 after Argentine forces invaded the Falklands – a remote self-governing British overseas territory in the South Atlantic Ocean. To this day, the territory is still disputed, and the issue remains a politically sensitive topic.
However, one of the popular chants sung by Argentine fans makes reference to the islands, which are referred to as Las Malvinas by those in South American nation. One of the lines reads: “I am Argentine from cradle to grave, for the Malvinas, for Diego, for Leo’s final chapter.”
The chant originally took off during Argentina’s 2022 run at the World Cup and has been brought back for their 2026 campaign. Should the two teams meet in the quarter-final next week, the chant is likely to be sung by the Argentine players.
First though, it’s a meeting with another one of the World Cup’s hottest talents – Erling Haaland. The Manchester City star has scored one fewer goal than Lionel Messi so far and is eyeing up a surprise result against the 1966 winners when they meet in Miami on Saturday.
However, the Norwegian camp has been rocked by a bout of illness, which is said to have been caused by the persistent travelling in between matches. When quizzed on the situation, manager Stale Solbakken said: “We’ve really only had Jorgen [Strand Larsen] who has had a fever.
“But then there’s been a bit of coughing and rasping evenly, scattered throughout. But there’s air conditioning, flights, changing rooms and all that. We’re over 50 people so it would be strange if one or the other didn’t come.”