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There aren’t many fixtures in international football that have the needle of an England vs Argentina clash.
The two rivals have met 14 times over the years, with the rivalry really catching fire after the infamous World Cup 1986 clash that was played with the Falklands War fresh in the memory.
The rivals would then meet in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, both of which were marred by controversy, with David Beckham’s red card dominating the Saint-Etienne clash before England were able to get some small measure of revenge in Sapporo four years later, thanks to a questionable penalty decision.
Pochettino on the 2002 England vs Argentina clash
Michael Owen was at the heart of both of these games, scoring what was perhaps the goal of the 1998 World Cup when he slalomed past the Argentina defence before slotting home. Four years later, fresh from winning the Ballon d’Or, he led the line for England.
Tasked with stopping him that day was future Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino, who was in the heart of the Argentina defence for Marcelo Bielsa’s side that had romped through qualification and were one of the favourites to lift the trophy in Japan and South Korea.
After going to penalties four years earlier, it seemed inevitable that this game would again be settled by the narrowest of margins, and this proved to be the case.
Shortly before half-time, Owen ran into the box, looked to jink past Pochettino and hit the deck. Referee Pierluigi Collina quickly pointed to the spot and David Beckham converted the penalty, which gave Sven Goran-Eriksson’s side a 1-0 victory.
But not everyone was convinced a spot kick should have been awarded, as Owen was accused of diving.
“It was a penalty because it was given… [*Laughs*],” Pochettino tells FourFourTwo.
“Once, in Qatar, I met Pierluigi Collina, the referee of that match. He never admitted it was a mistake, but we all know that with VAR, that would have been overturned. I’ve seen the footage a million times.
“From the referee’s angle, I probably would have given it. Without the tools we have today, I understand. But I never touched Owen.
“When I was managing Southampton, Owen was a TV pundit. I knew he was coming in one day and told my press officer I wanted him to come down and say hello. I had the photo ready – the one that clearly shows I didn’t touch him. He signed it and wrote, “You definitely touched me” along with a smiley face.
“We had a good laugh about it. He was clever, and I was a little bit naive.”
