They are two wins away from immortality
Twenty-eight years after a penalty shootout in Saint-Étienne left a generation of English footballers haunted, Alan Shearer looks toward Atlanta and sees not merely a semi-final but a reckoning with history. The wounds of 1998 — Beckham's red card, a disallowed goal, the long walk away from what might have been — have never fully healed, and Shearer knows that sport rarely offers such clean opportunities for redemption. Yet he believes this England squad, led by Kane and Bellingham, carries the quality and the moment to do what his generation could not: reach the final, and silence three decades of wondering.
- The ghost of Saint-Étienne looms over Atlanta — Shearer warns that discipline, not talent, will decide whether history repeats itself in the worst possible way.
- A single moment of temper or a questionable VAR call could unravel everything, just as Beckham's red card reduced England to ten men for seventy-five agonising minutes in 1998.
- Messi — who has never faced England before — remains the axis around which Argentina's entire tournament revolves, demanding tactical intelligence rather than brute man-marking from Southgate's side.
- Bellingham and Kane have been England's twin engines of brilliance, and Shearer believes they will create more danger for Argentina than Argentina can create for England.
- England are two wins from immortality, and Shearer's message is stark and simple: keep your heads, stay composed, and let the players who have carried you this far carry you further.
Twenty-eight years on, Alan Shearer still feels the sting of Saint-Étienne — the Argentine celebrations, the weight of captaincy, the long walk away from a match England should have won. Now, with England facing Argentina again in Wednesday's World Cup semi-final in Atlanta, he sees a rare chance for this generation to finish what his could not.
The 1998 match was defined by chaos: Michael Owen's stunning goal, a brilliant Argentine free-kick, Beckham's red card, a disallowed Sol Campbell header, and finally, penalties. Shearer is clear that the better team did not advance that night — and he fears the same forces could reassert themselves on Wednesday. Discipline will be everything. He would not be surprised to see another red card, and he remains uneasy about refereeing decisions that have accumulated strangely throughout the tournament.
Yet his confidence in the current squad is genuine. Harry Kane has been brilliant. Jude Bellingham is having the tournament of his life — he and Messi are the only players to win four man-of-the-match awards, and both are in contention for player of the tournament. Shearer believes England will cause Argentina more problems than they face, even against defending champions who have found ways to win largely because everything flows through Messi, arguably the greatest player ever to take a field.
Containing Messi will demand positioning and collective discipline rather than man-marking — limiting his space, forcing him to work for every touch. But that is only part of the challenge. England must also stay sharp, composed, and free of the rash moments that invite referees to intervene. The atmosphere will be ferocious, and playing eleven against eleven will be hard enough.
Shearer's message to England is simple: keep your heads. His message to everyone else is to strap in. None of England's matches at this World Cup have been comfortable, and this one will be no different. But if they can navigate the chaos and let Kane and Bellingham do what they do best, they have enough to win — and this time, there will be nothing left to wonder about.
Twenty-eight years have passed since Alan Shearer watched his England team lose to Argentina on penalties in the sweltering heat of Saint-Étienne, and the wound has never quite closed. He can still see the Argentine players celebrating beside the buses, still feel the weight of captaincy as his team filed away from what should have been their moment. Now, with England preparing to face Argentina again in Wednesday's World Cup semi-final in Atlanta, Shearer sees a chance for this generation to finish what his could not—to reach the final, to claim immortality, to avoid spending the next three decades wondering what might have been.
The 1998 match was a masterclass in chaos. Michael Owen had scored a stunning goal. Argentina answered with a brilliant free-kick. Then David Beckham was sent off, and England played seventy-five minutes with ten men. Sol Campbell had a goal disallowed. The match went to penalties, and England lost. It was, Shearer insists, not the best team that won that night. But it was the team that advanced, and that is what mattered. What troubles him now is that history could repeat itself—not the result, but the manner of it. These are matches where discipline dissolves, where a single moment of rage or carelessness can change everything. He would not be surprised to see another red card on Wednesday. He is concerned about the referees, about VAR, about the strange decisions that have accumulated throughout the tournament, including one that ruled out an Egyptian goal against Argentina itself for a foul committed at the opposite end of the pitch.
Yet Shearer believes England can win. The current squad is two victories away from immortality, and they have the players to get there. Harry Kane has been brilliant. Jude Bellingham is having the tournament of his life—he and Messi are the only two players to win four man-of-the-match awards so far. Both are in conversation for player of the tournament. Both are match-winners. The difference, Shearer thinks, is that England will cause Argentina more problems than Argentina will cause them. Argentina are the defending champions, experienced and streetwise, but they have not played great football to get this far. They have found ways to win when they needed to, largely because everything they do flows through Messi, arguably the greatest player ever to take a field, and a man who has never faced England before.
Containing Messi will require discipline and positioning rather than the blunt instrument of man-marking. Shearer imagines England might use someone like Djed Spence to track him, but suspects they will stick with the shape that has worked for their previous six games—one or two players getting across to him whenever he receives the ball, limiting his space, forcing him to work for every touch. But that is only part of the puzzle. There are other battles happening all over the pitch. England will have to do far more than simply keep Messi quiet. They will have to be sharp, composed, and above all, smart. No rash challenges. No moments of temper that give the referee an excuse to intervene. The atmosphere will be red-hot. Playing eleven against eleven will be hard enough.
Shearer has been to these matches before. He knows how difficult it is not to react in the heat of battle, how easy it is to make a mistake that costs you everything. His message to England is simple: keep your heads. His message to viewers is to strap in—it will be a bumpy ride, but it could be a wonderful evening. None of England's matches at this World Cup have been easy or comfortable, and he does not expect this one to be different. But if England can navigate the chaos, if they can stay disciplined and sharp, if they can make Messi work and let Kane and Bellingham do what they do best, then they have enough to win. And this time, they will not be talking about what could have been.
Notable Quotes
It is 28 years since Argentina ended my World Cup dream at France '98 - and it still hurts now.— Alan Shearer
I definitely think we can win it... it does not really matter how. Our players just have to make sure they land on the right side of the result this time.— Alan Shearer
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
You keep coming back to 1998. Why does that loss still matter so much, even now?
Because I was captain. Because we had an outstanding team and I genuinely believed we could win that tournament. We didn't lose because we were the worse team—we lost because of a penalty shootout, because Beckham got sent off, because of moments that could have gone either way. You spend twenty-eight years wondering if you would have done it differently.
But this England team is different. What do you see in them that gives you confidence?
Kane and Bellingham are match-winners. Bellingham especially—he's won four player-of-the-match awards. He and Messi are the only two. That tells you something about the quality we have. And we will cause Argentina more problems than they cause us. I believe that.
You're worried about discipline, about another red card. Why does that concern you more than the football itself?
Because these matches are emotional. Tempers boil over. One moment of stupidity, one reaction you can't take back, and VAR gets involved and suddenly you're playing with ten men. That's what happened to us. I don't want to see it happen to them.
Messi has never faced England. Does that change anything?
It changes the narrative, doesn't it? Everything Argentina does goes through him. But he's also human. If we can limit his space, make him work for the ball, then we have a chance. It's not about one player marking him all night—it's about being smart, being positioned right, being ready.
What would it mean if England won?
Immortality. That's not hyperbole. They'd be in the final. They'd have done what we couldn't. And they wouldn't have to spend the rest of their lives wondering what if.