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World Cup countdown: 50 days, Argentina moment number 9, Gabriel BATISTUTA

As part of the 50 days, 50 Argentina World Cup moments, we will be counting down the top 50 Argentina moments at a World Cup using the daily number.

We are just 9 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup and in 9th place we have legendary Argentina number 9 Gabriel BATISTUTA getting his last yellow card playing for Argentina vs. England at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

In Argentina’s second match at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, they played England. It was the first time these two teams met at a FIFA World Cup since Argentina eliminated England in 1998 in the Round of 16 on penalty kicks.

The rivalry mostly became famous for the match back in 1986 when Diego MARADONA scored two memorable goals. The team had picked up a 1-0 win against Nigeria in their opener of the tournament and were looking to secure a spot in the Round of 16 with a win.

However, a David BECKHAM penalty was enough for England to pick up a 1-0 win and put Argentina on the brink of elimination.

Here was Argentina’s starting XI for the match:
12. Pablo CAVALLERO
3. Juan Pablo SORIN
4. Mauricio POCHETTINO
6. Walter SAMUEL
7. Claudio LOPEZ
8. Javier ZANETTI
9. Gabriel BATISTUTA
10. Ariel ORTEGA
11. Juan Sebastian VERON
13. Diego PLACENTE
14. Diego SIMEONE

If you missed it, here are our 50 World Cup moments:
50: Sergio ROMERO gets 50th cap vs. Switzerland at 2014 FIFA World Cup.
49: Roberto AYALA scores in the 49th minute vs. Germany at 2006 FIFA World Cup.
48: Angel DI MARIA’s 48th cap for Argentina vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina at 2014 FIFA World Cup.
47: Mario KEMPES scores Argentina’s 47th goal all time at the 1978 FIFA World Cup vs. Peru.
46: Jorge VALDANO scores in the 46th minute at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
45: Javier ZANETTI scores in the 45th minute vs. England at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
44: Gabriel BATISTUTA scores goal number 44 in his Argentina career at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
43: Gonzalo HIGUAIN receives cap number 43 for Argentina vs. Germany in the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
42: Pedro PASCULLI scores in the 42nd minute for Argentina vs. Uruguay at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
41: Maxi RODRÍGUEZ scores in the 41st minute for Argentina vs. Serbia & Montenegro at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
40: Roberto AYALA plays in his 40th match for Argentina vs. Jamaica at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
39: Pablo ZABALETA plays in his 39th match for Argentina vs. Nigeria at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
38: Javier SAVIOLA scores in the 38th minute for Argentina vs. Ivory Coast at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
37: Maxi RODRIGUEZ plays in his 37th match for Argentina vs. South Korea at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
36: Mauricio PINEDA scores in the 36th minute for Argentina vs. Croatia at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
35: Ezequiel LAVEZZI plays in his 35th match for Argentina vs. Netherlands at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
34: Diego MARADONA scores his 34th goal for Argentina vs. Greece at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
33: Gonzalo HIGUAIN scores in the 33rd minute for Argentina vs. Mexico at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
32: Hernan CRESPO scores his 32nd goal for Argentina vs. Mexico at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
31: Diego MARADONA scoring in Argentina’s 31st FIFA World Cup match vs. Hungary.
30: Argentina loses opening match of 1982 FIFA World Cup vs. Belgium.
29: Argentina are knocked out of the 1982 FIFA World Cup after playing their 29th ever group stage match.
28: Claudio CANIGGIA scores in the 28th minute for Argentina vs. Nigeria at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
27: Pedro TROGLIO scores in the 27th minute for Argentina vs. the Soviet Union at the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
26: Diego MARADONA scores his 26th goal for Argentina vs. Belgium at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
25: Sergio AGUERO plays in his 25th match for Argentina vs. Germany at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
24: Diego MARADONA scores his 24th goal for Argentina vs. England at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
23: Ezequiel GARAY plays in his 23rd match for Argentina vs. Belgium at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
22: Argentina defeat Greece 2-0 on June 22 at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
21: Lucas BIGLIA plays in his 21st match for Argentina vs. Iran at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
20: Rene HOUSEMAN scores in the 20th minute for Argentina vs. East Germany at the 1974 FIFA World Cup.
19: Diego MILITO wears the number 19 shirt for Argentina on his World Cup debut vs. Nigeria at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
18. Javier MASCHERANO plays in his 18th match for Argentina vs. Netherlands at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
17: Claudio LOPEZ scores for Argentina in the 17th minute vs. Netherlands at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
16: Gabriel BATISTUTA scores for Argentina in the 16th minute vs. Romania at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
15: Leopoldo LUQUE scores for Argentina in the 15th minute vs. Hungary at the 1978 FIFA World Cup.
14: Diego SIMEONE wears the number 14 shirt for Argentina vs. Nigeria at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
13: Argentina play in their 13th draw all time at a FIFA World Cup vs. Netherlands at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
12: Guillermo STABILE scores for Argentina in the 12th minute vs. Chile at the 1930 FIFA World Cup.
11: Juan Sebastian VERON plays his last World Cup match for Argentina in nearly eight years vs. Sweden at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
10: Angel DI MARIA scores his 10th goal for Argentina vs. Switzerland at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Poll: Who should be Argentina’s starting number 9 versus Iceland?

While Argentina are not short on talent, at least in attack, the reality is that the team has struggled to score goals. Gonzalo HIGUAÍN has not scored a goal for Argentina since 2016, Sergio AGÜERO is just coming back from surgery, Paulo DYBALA has yet to open his scoring for his country, DI MARIA is not a regular goal scorer and Cristian PAVÓN is more of a passer.

The goal scoring (as well as playmaking) responsibilities have fallen onto Lionel MESSI’s shoulders. Hopefully all of that changes at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

It was Gonzalo HIGUAÍN who started the 4-0 win against Haiti and it appears that he will be the starting number 9 for Argentina at the World Cup. Who would you pick as the starting forward for Argentina?

[poll id=”13″]

Last week we asked who should be Argentina’s starting goalkeeper for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and you voted for Franco ARMANI as he received 64% of the votes.

[poll id=”12″]

Argentina probable eleven versus Iceland at World Cup

Despite the fact that Argentina still have one friendly match ahead of their opening match at the World Cup, reports are already emerging about a possible eleven to play against Iceland.

Franco ARMANI, Paulo DYBALA and Cristian PAVON are all set to start for Argentina in their friendly match versus Israel on Saturday but not a single one is expected to start the opening match at the World Cup against Iceland. Per a report by TNT Sports, this would be the starting eleven for Argentina against Iceland.

CABALLERO; TAGLIAFICO, OTAMENDI, FAZIO, MERCADO; LO CELSO, MASCHERANO; DI MARIA, MESSI, LANZINI, HIGUAIN

Willy CABALLERO would get the starting spot as the goalkeeper over Franco ARMANI. That right side would be occupied by a more natural defender in Gabriel MERCADO and not Eduardo SALVIO. Giovani LO CELSO and Javier MASCHERANO, the midfield duo from the match against Haiti would repeat and Gonzalo HIGUAIN would start ahead of Sergio AGUERO.

Franco ARMANI set to start for Argentina versus Israel

Despite not being tested versus Haiti, it won’t be Willy CABALLERO who will start for Argentina against Israel but rather Franco ARMANI.

Per a report by TNT Sports, one of the changes to the Argentina team on Saturday versus Israel will be Franco ARMANI. If true, it would appear that coach SAMPAOLI will give a chance to his back-up goalkeeper (at the moment, most in the media are reporting that Willy CABALLERO will start at the World Cup) to play.

Should the River Plate goalkeeper get to play, it would be his first cap for his country. Paulo DYBALA and Cristian PAVON are also set to start the match.

World Cup countdown: 50 days, Argentina moment number 10, Angel DI MARIA

As part of the 50 days, 50 Argentina World Cup moments, we will be counting down the top 50 Argentina moments at a World Cup using the daily number.

We are just 10 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup and in place number 10 we have Angel DI MARIA scoring his tenth goal for Argentina versus Switzerland at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

After picking up three wins out of three in the group stages, Argentina were up against Switzerland in the Round of 16 at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. There weren’t any goals in 90 minutes and the match had to go to extra time. Rodrigo PALACIO won the ball, he passed it to Lionel MESSI who went on a run, passed it out wide to Angel DI MARIA who slotted the ball into the back of the net.

It was Angel DI MARIA’s 10th goal for his country, the biggest of his Argentina career with it being scored in the 118th minute. Switzerland would go on and nearly score themselves as they hit the post after DI MARIA’s goal but Argentina’s goal was the only one of the match as they secured a 1-0 win.

Here was Argentina’s starting XI for the match:
1. Sergio ROMERO
2. Ezequiel GARAY
4. Pablo ZABALETA
5. Fernando GAGO
7. Angel DI MARIA
9. Gonzalo HIGUAIN
10. Lionel MESSI
14. Javier MASCHERANO
16. Marcos ROJO
17. Federico FERNANDEZ
22. Ezequiel LAVEZZI

If you missed it, here are our 50 World Cup moments:
50: Sergio ROMERO gets 50th cap vs. Switzerland at 2014 FIFA World Cup.
49: Roberto AYALA scores in the 49th minute vs. Germany at 2006 FIFA World Cup.
48: Angel DI MARIA’s 48th cap for Argentina vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina at 2014 FIFA World Cup.
47: Mario KEMPES scores Argentina’s 47th goal all time at the 1978 FIFA World Cup vs. Peru.
46: Jorge VALDANO scores in the 46th minute at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
45: Javier ZANETTI scores in the 45th minute vs. England at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
44: Gabriel BATISTUTA scores goal number 44 in his Argentina career at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
43: Gonzalo HIGUAIN receives cap number 43 for Argentina vs. Germany in the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
42: Pedro PASCULLI scores in the 42nd minute for Argentina vs. Uruguay at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
41: Maxi RODRÍGUEZ scores in the 41st minute for Argentina vs. Serbia & Montenegro at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
40: Roberto AYALA plays in his 40th match for Argentina vs. Jamaica at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
39: Pablo ZABALETA plays in his 39th match for Argentina vs. Nigeria at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
38: Javier SAVIOLA scores in the 38th minute for Argentina vs. Ivory Coast at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
37: Maxi RODRIGUEZ plays in his 37th match for Argentina vs. South Korea at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
36: Mauricio PINEDA scores in the 36th minute for Argentina vs. Croatia at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
35: Ezequiel LAVEZZI plays in his 35th match for Argentina vs. Netherlands at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
34: Diego MARADONA scores his 34th goal for Argentina vs. Greece at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
33: Gonzalo HIGUAIN scores in the 33rd minute for Argentina vs. Mexico at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
32: Hernan CRESPO scores his 32nd goal for Argentina vs. Mexico at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
31: Diego MARADONA scoring in Argentina’s 31st FIFA World Cup match vs. Hungary.
30: Argentina loses opening match of 1982 FIFA World Cup vs. Belgium.
29: Argentina are knocked out of the 1982 FIFA World Cup after playing their 29th ever group stage match.
28: Claudio CANIGGIA scores in the 28th minute for Argentina vs. Nigeria at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
27: Pedro TROGLIO scores in the 27th minute for Argentina vs. the Soviet Union at the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
26: Diego MARADONA scores his 26th goal for Argentina vs. Belgium at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
25: Sergio AGUERO plays in his 25th match for Argentina vs. Germany at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
24: Diego MARADONA scores his 24th goal for Argentina vs. England at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
23: Ezequiel GARAY plays in his 23rd match for Argentina vs. Belgium at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
22: Argentina defeat Greece 2-0 on June 22 at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
21: Lucas BIGLIA plays in his 21st match for Argentina vs. Iran at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
20: Rene HOUSEMAN scores in the 20th minute for Argentina vs. East Germany at the 1974 FIFA World Cup.
19: Diego MILITO wears the number 19 shirt for Argentina on his World Cup debut vs. Nigeria at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
18. Javier MASCHERANO plays in his 18th match for Argentina vs. Netherlands at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
17: Claudio LOPEZ scores for Argentina in the 17th minute vs. Netherlands at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
16: Gabriel BATISTUTA scores for Argentina in the 16th minute vs. Romania at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
15: Leopoldo LUQUE scores for Argentina in the 15th minute vs. Hungary at the 1978 FIFA World Cup.
14: Diego SIMEONE wears the number 14 shirt for Argentina vs. Nigeria at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
13: Argentina play in their 13th draw all time at a FIFA World Cup vs. Netherlands at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
12: Guillermo STABILE scores for Argentina in the 12th minute vs. Chile at the 1930 FIFA World Cup.
11: Juan Sebastian VERON plays his last World Cup match for Argentina in nearly eight years vs. Sweden at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

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