Kane says England won't be distracted by Argentina rivalry

England captain Harry Kane said his team will not be distracted by the history and emotions surrounding their World Cup semi-final against Argentina on Wednesday.

The two nations have a long and intense football rivalry, with past meetings often linked to political tensions over the Falkland Islands, known as the Malvinas in Spanish, in the South Atlantic Ocean.

One of the most famous clashes came at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, when Argentina defeated England 2-1 with two goals from Diego Maradona. The match featured his controversial "Hand of God" goal and a remarkable solo strike widely regarded as one of the greatest goals in football history.

Twelve years later, David Beckham was sent off during the 1998 World Cup in France as Argentina defeated England on penalties.

Kane said the focus for the players would remain on the match itself rather than the emotions attached to previous encounters.

Asked by ITV if handling the atmosphere around the semi-final in Atlanta would be difficult, Kane said: "Yes and no. I think it's not something you want to focus too much on, surrounding the history.

"That's all part of it and that's what you guys in the media will talk about, the fans will be involved in.

"But from a player's point of view, it's us against a great team, who are smart, who are tactical, who know how to buy fouls, know how to slow the game down, like many different teams you come up against throughout your whole career.

"So, it's England versus Argentina, it's two of the biggest nations going toe to toe. Two giants in the semi-final of a World Cup. The rest of it is just a small part for us."

Kane ready for Messi challenge

Kane will face Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who is meeting England for the first time in his long international career.

Messi has scored eight goals in the tournament, two more than Kane, but the England striker said his side would prepare for Argentina as a team rather than focusing only on their leading player.

"We know how good a player he is, we know what he's done in the game, how consistent he's been for so long," Kane said.

"But the game is against Argentina, not against Lionel Messi. So yeah, we have a lot of preparation to do. We're coming up against a great unit, a great team with fantastic players."

Kane also played down the disagreement between England manager Thomas Tuchel and midfielder Jude Bellingham after the manager criticised the team's performance in the quarter-final against Norway.

The England captain said the squad remained united and accepted criticism as part of their improvement.