THE FUSE

Messi to headline Argentina vs England

When defending champions Argentina meet England on Wednesday, Lionel Messi will be facing the Three Lions for the first time in his life on the occasion of his 206th cap. Sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. Equally insane is the fact that none of England’s goals in this tournament has been scored by players who featured in the English Premier League last season. Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham and Barcelona’s Marcus Rashford are the only Englishmen to trouble the scorers to date.

England are the first team in World Cup history to see two players score six goals each at the same edition (Kane and Bellingham).
Lionel Messi comes into the semi-final as the World Cup’s all-time top scorer (21) and assister (10), with each of those ten assists coming for different players.

Defending champions Argentina survived an almighty scare, coming from 2-0 down to eventually beat Egypt in a thriller in the Round of 16. The great Lionel Messi was at the forefront, as he usually is. The man from Rosario missed a penalty on 21 minutes but atoned spectacularly with an assist for Cristian Romero’s 79th-minute goal and then a goal of his own on 83 minutes. Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez completed the stunning comeback in stoppage time. La Albiceleste then beat Switzerland 3-1 after extra time. Messi didn’t score, but he did assist Alexis Mac Allister’s opener. Argentina meet England on Wednesday in a mouthwatering semi-final. Kickoff is at 21:00 in RSA.

Is Mbokazi more popular than Messi?

The people have spoken. MLS fans want Mbekezeli Mbokazi in their all-star match and said so loud and clear with their votes. The 20-year-old led all players in the poll, even the great Lionel Messi. Mbokazi and Messi will feature in the MSL All-Stars’ clash against Liga MX’s All-Stars on 29 July in North Carolina.