The coach of the Argentine national football team, Lionel Scaloni, said on Wednesday, following their qualification for the North America World Cup final in Atlanta after defeating England 2-1: "This group never ceases to surprise me."
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Looking ahead to Sunday's final against Spain, where Lionel Messi and his teammates will attempt to retain the world champions title they won in 2022 in Qatar, Scaloni added: "We will try to win, and we will give everything we have, but after that, it becomes extremely difficult."
He emphasized: "What the players are delivering is amazing," while also speaking about the support of the Argentine fans.
He continued: "We are truly unique, and this is not arrogance, I say this from the bottom of my heart; these people carried us to victory today."
During the post-match press conference, he highlighted the ironclad character of his players, who are always ready to fight until the very end.
He said: "Football is not just tactics, strategy, or beautiful play. Football is everything summarized in these few minutes. And when we scored the leading goal to make it 2-1, we had to fight until the end, and that is what we did. It is a reflection of everything football has taught us since we were young."
He added: "They play as if they are seven or eight years old. They don't say to themselves: 'What if I miss the chance?', or 'What if we get knocked out?'. They don't think about that. They only think about playing football, just as they have always done."
Scaloni cited his captain, Lionel Messi, who was unstoppable toward the end of the match and assisted two goals.
He said: "Today, during the last 15, 20, or 25 minutes, whenever he had the chance, Messi kept possession of the ball. Messi started playing as if he were in his own backyard."
As for Spain, his opponent in the final, he said: "Everyone knows how they play and what their style is, and it will certainly be a fantastic match."
(Agencies)
