Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has dismissed suggestions his team are guilty of ‘unsporting’ behaviour ahead of facing Croatia in Tuesday’s World Cup semi-final.
La Albiceleste came through a fiery quarter-final encounter with the Netherlands, which ended in a penalty shootout, 17 yellow cards - including for coaches - and one sending-off after the final whistle.
From Leandro Parades booting the ball into the Netherlands dugout, Virgil van Dijk body-checking him soon after, then both benches encroaching on the field of play, it was a tense atmosphere which boiled over after the game had concluded.
As some Argentina players taunted their Dutch counterparts, Lionel Messi gave head coach Louis van Gaal and assistant Edgar Davids a piece of his mind. Emi Martinez, who saved two penalties in the shootout, then insulted the performance of referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz to the media. FIFA opened a disciplinary case against Argentina.
Ahead of a semi-final at Lusail Stadium, Scaloni denies his team behaved poorly, telling reporters: “That's football sometimes there can be arguments and more challenging times. That's why there's a referee. We need to put an end to this idea of Argentina not being good winners.
“We won the Copa America in Brazil with the most sporting behaviour: Messi, Neymar, [Leandro] Paredes, sitting together in the tunnel in the Maracana. I am not convinced with this idea of unsporting behaviour.”
Left-back Nicolas Tagliafico added: "We're not machines, we're humans, and that means things happen in games... they'll probably keep happening and happen in the upcoming match. This is football. It is two teams going for a dream.”
Tagliafico believes the presence of talisman Messi makes the World Cup journey more special for his team-mates.
He added: “He is the one who gives us a special advantage. When we are on the pitch with Messi, it is a sense of motivation and help. The most beautiful thing is that we are trying to achieve our dreams with Messi by our side"
After shocking Brazil in their quarter-final, Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalic is looking to reach a second successive World Cup final.
He expects another battle with a South American rival, telling reporters: “We could see from the Argentina-Netherlands match that it was quite feisty, a lot of duels, a lot of non-football related situations and I hope it will not be the case.”
It’s a remarkable achievement for a nation with a population of under 3.9million people to be on the verge of another World Cup final and Dalic believes all expectation is firmly on Argentina’s shoulders.
“We are among the best teams in the world, he said. “That’s an extraordinary thing to be among the four best teams in the world for Croatian football.
“However, we want more. The Argentina team are led by the great Lionel Messi but they are under greater pressure at the moment. We know how they play.
“As an optimist by nature, I trust my players. We will not adapt too much. We will continue to play our own game. Yes, it was quite exhausting and played extra time in two matches.
“We are in a semi-final and we have strength, willingness and energy. All the players are healthy and I hope they rested well.”
