Lionel Messi looking forward to 'special match' against England in World Cup semifinal

[p]The eagerly awaited clash between [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/argentina/f9OppQjp/"]Argentina[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/england/j9N9ZNFA/"]England[/a] in the World Cup semi-final will be [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/messi-lionel/vgOOdZbd/"]Lionel Messi[/a]'s first. The Argentine star, who celebrated the victory over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/switzerland/rHJ2vy1B/"]Switzerland[/a] last Saturday, highlighted the importance of facing a world football powerhouse at this decisive stage of the tournament, according to GE.[/p][p][b]“It’s a special match. It’s my first time. I’ve played against everyone except England. It’s a different kind of fixture, against a team with a great tradition, and it’s always fantastic to be part of a match of this calibre in a semi-final,”[/b] Messi said during an interview in the mixed zone in Kansas City.[/p][image alt="Lionel Messi's stats against Switzerland" id="5a366cd1-100e-4561-9101-9cd9d1256a42" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="2e01e87c-d058-4a3f-ad0b-68875c00363d" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p]Messi also took the opportunity to praise the Argentine squad’s mentality, which remains competitive even after their recent world and continental triumphs.[/p][p][b]“This squad never stops pushing; they always want more and strive to be on a par with the best. What this team has achieved is no mean feat: winning the World Cup, winning the Copa América and reaching the semi-finals once again,” [/b]he added.[/p][p]Despite the euphoria over qualifying, the captain admitted that the team is feeling the accumulated physical strain. The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/argentina-f9OppQjp/switzerland-rHJ2vy1B/?mid=Wv4IS6zg"]3–1 victory over Switzerland[/a] was only decided in extra time, the second time the Argentines had needed extra time in the knockout stages within an eight-day period.[/p][p][b]“We’ll try to rest, as we’ve been through a lot. The squad is certainly feeling it, but we’ll be in the best possible shape to carry on competing as we have been,” [/b]Messi assured.[/p][embed guid="b47c1f0d-1ae4-418c-8a3e-ea71a7e36efe" url="https://x.com/dailyfootvibes/status/2076150542607552909?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Regarding the team’s overall performance, Messi praised the efforts of his attacking teammates. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alvarez-julian/bBHauDIC/"]Julián Álvarez[/a], who scored one of the goals, received special praise.[/p][p][b]“It was a brilliant goal; he has a world-class finish and has shown that time and again, including at Atletico Madrid. I was very pleased with the result, his goal, and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/martinez-lautaro/QHk1CXUh/"]Lautaro[/a]’s goal. We need to keep going in the same vein,”[/b] he concluded.[/p][infobox id="4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3" /]