Argentina players celebrate with ‘Falklands are ours’ sign after putting England out of World Cup

ARGENTINA PLAYERS HAVE celebrated their World Cup win over England with a sign reading “The Falklands are Argentinian”.

England’s World Cup dreams were ended in a semi-final defeat to Argentina as Lionel Messi inspired a chaotic late 2-1 turnaround.

Fixtures between the two nations typically have an added edge by the lingering sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands, known in Spanish as Las Malvinas, in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Argentina’s Vice President Victoria Villarruel upped the stakes ahead of kick-off in Atlanta by calling the English “usurping pirates”.

Villarruel’s father fought in the 1982 Falklands War between Argentina’s military dictatorship and the UK over the South Atlantic islands.

The 74-day conflict ended in a British victory, leaving 649 Argentines and 255 Britons dead.

The vice president’s remarks stood in contrast to those of Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni and several players, who sought to play down the political and historical significance of the match.

“It’s a football match, plain and simple. So, mixing the two would be madness,” Scaloni said.

But after the game, Argentina players held up a banner reading “Las Malvinas Son Argentinas” while celebrating their victory.

The banner translates into English as “The Falklands are Argentinian”.

On the field, the fixture also has a rich World Cup history.

The most famous encounter was a 2-1 victory for Argentina in the quarter-finals in Mexico in 1986, featuring two goals from the late Diego Maradona – one the infamous “Hand of God” goal and the other a dazzling solo effort.

Twelve years later, at France 1998, David Beckham was sent off for a foul on Diego Simeone as Argentina beat England on penalties.

Meanwhile, Argentina will now face Spain after they produced a masterclass to beat favourites France 2-0 on Tuesday.

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