Argentina eye England rematch in semi-final
June 9, 2002
Argentine football federation president Julio Humberto Grondona has revealed his players are eager to meet England in the latter stages of the World Cup.
Onefootball
"They hunger for revenge. They are already thinking of playing them again in the semi-finals," he said.
Argentina need to beat Sweden on Wednesday to qualify for the second round, but the squad are already looking well beyond that.
"They have already swallowed the match against England and now they want revenge, in a sporting sense. It would be a good opportunity to get that in the semi-finals.
"I don't think there will ever be two games like the one played on Friday. On the other hand, if there was a match that Argentina could lose, it was this one.
"Sometimes you learn a lot from these experiences, so maybe in the future we will be thankful for having the chance to go through this, we will see how the boys assimilate this."
Grondona then cautioned the fans about the expectation they place on the team. "Our supporters think you win before playing and get prepared for celebrating. That is a very big mistake," he said.
"All the teams at this tournament have good players and you have to wait until the referee blows the final whistle, then you can party."
Grondona was diplomatic when asked about skipper Juan Sebastian Veron, the Manchester United midfielder who was substituted at half-time on Friday.
"Veron played 45 minutes in which he did correct things and wrong things. That's how football goes," he reasoned.
"Then, when we most needed him, he wasn't on the pitch. Argentina had three free-kicks near England's area and, if Veron had been there to take them, maybe we wouldn't now be talking about a defeat to England."