England and Argentina goalless after tense World Cup semifinal first half

England and Argentina reached halftime scoreless in their World Cup semifinal in Atlanta after a first half marked by fouls, confrontations and little attacking precision. Al Jazeera reported that neither side produced a goal or even a shot on target during the opening 45 minutes.

The Wednesday semifinal carried extra weight, according to Al Jazeera, because defending champions Argentina were facing a top-10 ranked opponent for the first time in the tournament. The tension showed early, with players from both teams involved in repeated exchanges after challenges.

Al Jazeera reported that the first flashpoint came two minutes after kickoff, when Leandro Paredes fouled Jude Bellingham with an elbow shove to the face. A few minutes later, Elliott Anderson brought down Lionel Messi, prompting a retaliatory foul from Enzo Fernandez.

The referee did not intervene with a card after that sequence, Al Jazeera reported, drawing anger from the England bench. Anderson was involved again in the seventh minute when Giuliano Simeone fouled him, giving England a second free kick, but England did not turn the set piece into a meaningful chance.

England spent stretches of the half in Argentina’s end, Al Jazeera reported, with attacks developing down the left side. Those moves did not become shots on goal, leaving the match tight but short of clear scoring chances.

Early confrontations set the tone

The Anderson-Fernandez matchup continued to simmer. In the 13th minute, Al Jazeera reported, the two players came together again and appeared close to a larger confrontation, with Morgan Rogers and Paredes also becoming involved.

England felt aggrieved by Fernandez’s conduct, according to Al Jazeera, while head coach Thomas Tuchel protested from the touchline. The referee again kept his cards in his pocket during that incident.

The first booking arrived in the 38th minute, when Anderson received a yellow card for a challenge on Messi. Al Jazeera reported that the foul drew players from both teams into another heated scuffle.

Argentina were shown a yellow card four minutes later. Al Jazeera reported that Martinez was booked in the 42nd minute for pulling back Rogers, then protested the decision before play resumed.

First-half numbers

Al Jazeera reported that Argentina committed 12 fouls in the first half, while England committed seven. Each team had one player booked before the interval.

Argentina also had more of the ball, according to Al Jazeera, finishing the half with 56 percent possession to England’s 44 percent. Despite that edge, the first half ended without a goal and without a shot on target from either side.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.